MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net
Content Marketing Mobile ServicesTue, 09 Jan 2018 20:20:56 +0000enhourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.4https://www.mobilebeyond.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/cropped-stockfresh_4161234_smartphone-globe-and-glow-rays_sizeS-e1476638154678-32x32.jpgMobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net
3232MobileBeyond podcasts interviews take you on a journey through the world of digital technologies, social media, WordPress tips and more. Learn how to write mobile and website content, optimize your desktop and mobile sites, improve social media promotions, build your brand, generate leads and increases sales.Brian ProwscleanBrian Prowsinfo@MobileBeyond.netinfo@MobileBeyond.net (Brian Prows)MobileBeyond - 2016 - All Rights ReservedContent Marketing Mobile Podcast Interviews with Mobile, Media, Marketing and Tech LeadersMobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/wp-content/uploads/powerpress/MB_1400X1400.jpghttps://www.mobilebeyond.net
info@mobilebeyond.netMobileBeyond podcasts interviews take you on a journey through the world of digital technologies, social media, WordPress tips and more. Learn how to write mobile and website content, optimize your desktop and mobile sites, improve social media promotions, build your brand, generate leads and increases sales. TV-GSan Francisco Bay AreaMichael Becker Connected Marketer Institute Podcast - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/michael-becker-connected-marketer-institute/
Fri, 16 Sep 2016 00:23:21 +0000https://www.mobilebeyond.net/?p=14628https://www.mobilebeyond.net/michael-becker-connected-marketer-institute/#respondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/michael-becker-connected-marketer-institute/feed/0<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>As I spoke with Michael Becker, co-founder of mCordis and The Connected Marketer Institute, it reminded me of our first podcast interview over five years ago. Then we talked about mobile marketing and powerful new wireless devices that would forever change human communications. He said “‘…mobile is the foundation of all communications going forward”–whatever the mobile […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/michael-becker-connected-marketer-institute/">Michael Becker Connected Marketer Institute Podcast</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>As I spoke with Michael Becker, co-founder of mCordis and The Connected Marketer Institute, it reminded me of our first podcast interview over five years ago. Then we talked about mobile marketing and powerful new wireless devices that would forever ch...podcast interview over five years ago. Then we talked about mobile marketing and powerful new wireless devices that would forever change human communications.
He said “‘…mobile is the foundation of all communications going forward”–whatever the mobile device, for personal use or commerce. He [spoke] of the ‘untethered engagement’ as the central focus of one-on-one relationship marketing with mobile phone consumers.”
Now Michael speaks about multiple “connected devices” in our lives—smartphones, tablets, watches. Passive Internet devices, like Amazon’s Echo, made human-like with its name “Alexa,” listens as we interact with her. We say “play some music,” “ship items on my grocery list,” “what time are the Giants playing?” Alexa responds, satisfying our every want, saving us time, becoming our machine companion.
By 2020, homes will probably have ten or more connected devices, like Alexa, complemented by hundreds of interactive TV’s, fridges, connected cars, and passive IoT gizmos silently collecting data about us and our surroundings. There’s disagreement among the researchers about the number of IoT’s. But most studies agree we’ll have tens of billions on the Planet, gulping big data for corporations, governments, education and, most important, marketers.
The Connected Marketer Institute
Recently, mCordis, a mobile, marketing, advisory and educational services provider, launched The Connected Marketer Institute. Targeted at both marketers and marketing technology (martech) vendors, CMI seeks to re-define the focus of marketing in a mobile connected world, stressing digital connectivity, education, service,
When I asked Becker about omnichannel marketing in the interview, he claimed that mobile SMS, email and other forms of traditional “marketing” don’t exist. “There’s only marketing”—connecting, engaging and being of service to customers. “Everything else is a tool or strategy.” Mobile is at the center of everything. Marketers must look at the practice of marketing with a new lens that better serves customers at scale understands them better, and resolves friction (answering customer questions in the right ways).
Marketers need to create value FOR not FROM people.”
Other Podcast Interview Topics

* Marketers as technologists creating value and being of service for people
* Collecting and analyzing data in appropriate ways, on individuals’ terms, while maintaining transparency
* Physical products have digital components
* Four human dimensions: physical, digital, emotional, and sensorial
* How to figure out where brands fit in a customer’s mind
* Monitoring data and connectivity to create events in real time (synchronization)
* All content drives consumer behavior; everything produced by marketers and advertisers is content—both digital and non-digital
* Content marketing as more than blogs, keywords, SEO and calls-to-action
* Media channels vs. the practice of marketing
* From Cicero to Henry Ford to distribution to the information age
* GAFA (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon): The age of computing power
* What happened in 2010?
* The age of the customer.]]>Brian Prowsclean51:172Mobile App Acceleration with Jay Hinman - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/neumob-mobile-app-acceleration-jay-hinman/
Tue, 10 May 2016 23:00:03 +0000https://www.mobilebeyond.net/?p=14396https://www.mobilebeyond.net/neumob-mobile-app-acceleration-jay-hinman/#respondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/neumob-mobile-app-acceleration-jay-hinman/feed/0<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Your new mobile app was just released to the app stores. You chew your fingernails. Lots of pressure from the boss. The company wants a big hit. You ask yourself: “Will the app be fast enough in the U.S., India?…Is mobile app acceleration across the network going to work? Sweat beads up on your forehead… […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/neumob-mobile-app-acceleration-jay-hinman/">Neumob’s Mobile App Acceleration – Jay Hinman Podcast</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Mobile app network optimization accelerates content delivery, while increasing user engagement
No, this is not a script from HBO’s “Silicon Valley,” although, hey, I don’t mind sharing my creative writing. Getting mobile apps to load under four seconds–preferably two–is (or should be) on every mobile app developer’s mind.
Why? Because, according to Jay Hinman, VP of Marketing at Neumob, mobile ads sometimes don’t load quickly. Forex traders in Manila could lose one second and lots of moola. Mobile gamers might become upset about a slowdown in Mumbai. Worst case scenario? A precious mobile app devotee writes “your app sucks” in an iTunes review. Jay says that smarts.
Mobile App Acceleration : Jay Hinman at Neumob
Jay, who used to work for MobiTV, appeared previously on MobileBeyond, discussing mobile streaming video. He loves the field of mobile, probably in part due to his interest in broadcasting. He, like I, had fun working at our campus radio stations. Jay’s also done podcasting. So, there you have it.
While there’s still disagreement about mobile Web vs. mobile app usage, rather than address the studies here, I’ll direct you to an excellent, current review by Morgan Linton, whose “Native Apps vs. Mobile Web War Rages On” summarizes the research. There’s some tongue-in-cheek by Linton, but as any good blogger would say: “Just gimme the facts.”
During our conversation, Jay Hinman and I discuss how mobile app developers, using the Neumob Accelerator, experience mobile app bytes flying almost as fast as protons in the Hadron Collider near Geneva.
I draw this analogy because at the end of the podcast Jay told me that “Neumob” kinda came from “neutron,” similar to “proton.” I also mention the Hadron Collider because, in late April 2016, a small weasel chewed through the electrical wires, frying itself, and causing the Collider to come to an abrupt halt. NPR devoted an entire two minutes to the event.
Jay assured me that Neumob has secured its network so this will never happen to its customers nor their mobile app acceleration software.
I also guarantee you that SiteGround scans my server once a week. So you won’t encounter any malicious code or strange bugs crawling out of your smartphone, tablet, laptop, desktop or whatever you use to hear this podcast.
Now on with the show.

]]>Brian Prowsclean30:203Ebola Care App Raises Hope in West Africa - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/ebola-care-app-raises-hope/
Mon, 10 Nov 2014 23:45:48 +0000https://www.mobilebeyond.net/?p=13645https://www.mobilebeyond.net/ebola-care-app-raises-hope/#respondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/ebola-care-app-raises-hope/feed/0<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>The Ebola Care App, available free from Journey, a mobile applications developer, enables health workers to monitor and collect patient data in West South Africa. AppsAgainstEbola, Journey’s website, describes its genesis, capabilities and benefits. Running on inexpensive Android phones, the Ebola Care App will improve the timeliness, accuracy and accessibility of field data for health care decision-makers […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/ebola-care-app-raises-hope/">Ebola Care App Raises Hope in West Africa</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>The Ebola Care App, available free from Journey, a mobile applications developer, enables health workers to monitor and collect patient data in West South Africa. AppsAgainstEbola, Journey’s website, describes its genesis, capabilities and benefits.Journey, a mobile applications developer, enables health workers to monitor and collect patient data in West South Africa. AppsAgainstEbola, Journey’s website, describes its genesis, capabilities and benefits.
Running on inexpensive Android phones, the Ebola Care App will improve the timeliness, accuracy and accessibility of field data for health care decision-makers and NGO’s
Data shared with the WHO (World Health Organization) expedite critical communications and field heath care delivery improving Ebola patient outcomes. (See the excellent article in Forbes summarizing the Ebola Care App and Journey’s Facebook page.)
Ebola is Not Just an African Problem
Those are the words of Philip Joubert who is my podcast guest. As we discussed the global community of governments, NGO’s, private benefactors, such as Bill Gates, and company donations, the connectedness of humanity came to mind.
In the past–before social media, mobile phones and greater interest in the biggest continent–the first Ebola crisis in 1976, documented by the WHO, was indeed “just an African problem.” But the massive outbreak of the 2014 Ebola virus epidemic has spread from Africa to the U.S. and other developed nations.
It’s changed how we think about national borders. Viruses cross freely from Liberia into Sierra Leone. They fly thousands of miles with their hosts. In that sense, the Ebola virus is “airborne,” whether flying coach or first-class. Outbreaks of this type are world problems.
Quarantines, drug firms scouring arsenals of viral medications, media gone crazy filling voracious consumers’ information demand, public fear and politician grandstanding. Clearly, this is everyone’s problem. We no longer live in glass houses. Ebola is at our front door.
How we, government and corporate leaders and the health care community respond to these health crises worldwide will forever determine future responses. Do we dump money on world problems that don’t affect us personally from afar? Or should we believe, as Gandi said:
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony.”
Ebola Care App Brings Technology to Africa
Philip and Malan Joubert, who grew up in South Africa, felt their calling. Using mobile development software created by their firm, they believed a Ebola Care app, used on the ground in Liberia and other Ebola-infected countries, would expedite communications among health workers, the medical community and large organizations like the WHO.
Listen to the podcast about two brothers making a difference in West Africa.

Further Reading:South African Brothers Helping Fight Ebola with Mobile App Innovationclean24:094GCash Mobile Money Services Help Filopinos Prosper - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/gcash-mobile-money-services-help-filopinos-prosper/
Wed, 20 Aug 2014 02:30:03 +0000https://www.mobilebeyond.net/?p=13467https://www.mobilebeyond.net/gcash-mobile-money-services-help-filopinos-prosper/#respondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/gcash-mobile-money-services-help-filopinos-prosper/feed/0<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>GCash Mobile money services, like others in African countries, the Mideast, Bangladesh and India, are popular and growing quickly in developing countries. As MobileBeyond’s financial inclusion series has documented, mobile money empowers the unbanked to send and receive money, top off phone minutes, pay bills, finance solar power, gain insurance protection, enable merchant transactions and establish […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/gcash-mobile-money-services-help-filopinos-prosper/">GCash Mobile Money Services Help Filopinos Prosper</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>GCash Mobile money services, like others in African countries, the Mideast, Bangladesh and India, are popular and growing quickly in developing countries. As MobileBeyond’s financial inclusion series has documented,Mobile money services, like others in African countries, the Mideast, Bangladesh and India, are popular and growing quickly in developing countries.
As MobileBeyond’s financial inclusion series has documented, mobile money empowers the unbanked to send and receive money, top off phone minutes, pay bills, finance solar power, gain insurance protection, enable merchant transactions and establish credit.
8,561 miles west of California, across the vast Pacific Ocean, 7107 Philippine islands are the entrance to Indonesia. Only 2,000 islands, though, have inhabitants. A thriving country, ten years ago Globe Telecom, one of the major country’s telcos, created Gcash mobile money services.
In my podcast interview with Paolo Baltao, President of G-Xchange, a subsidiary of Globe Telecom, Paolo and I discuss the launch of GCash, Globe’s mobile commerce arm, in 2006, now one million customers strong. Considering that 80% of the Filopino population is unbanked or underbanked, having a telco enable multiple banking services has lessened the burden of consumers carrying cash. More than that, Filopinos using GCash’ services save time and money attending to small businesses and productive efforts.
Paolo says sharing airtime load was growing before GCash launched (most Filopinos add minutes daily to their phones). Transferring money without a bank account was becoming burdensome, taking two hours or more out of the day for transportation and waiting in line. And BILLIONS of dollars were flowing into the Philippines from far-a-way countries to relatives.
GCash Mobile Money Services: Before and After
You’re living in the fields of the Philippines, growing sugarcane, bananas, palay (rice) and corn. You and your family get paid in pesos once a week. Every few months your cousin, one of ten million Filipinos who works overseas, sends you a cash remittance to make ends meet (10-15% paid to Western Union or other payment processor). You don’t have a checking account; in fact, you’re unbanked. Cash in, cash out, one of 2.5 billion people on Earth who live without financial services. Or…
You have a GCash mobile money services account. When paid, you deposit pesos into an electronic wallet. It’s safe, secure. When your cousin sends a remittance, the money goes directly into your mobile wallet at a lower transfer charge. Filopinos now spend their hard-earned pesos without worrying about the nearest bank branch.
Of course,]]>Brian Prowsclean31:275Obopay India Fights for 904 Million Mobile Customers - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/obopay-india-fights-for-904-million-customers/
Mon, 04 Aug 2014 05:33:50 +0000https://www.mobilebeyond.net/?p=13396https://www.mobilebeyond.net/obopay-india-fights-for-904-million-customers/#respondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/obopay-india-fights-for-904-million-customers/feed/0<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Obopay India sits at a crossroads. Someone wrote that if mobile money players didn’t face the shackles of government banking regulations, the mobile money industry in India could generate $250 BILLION U.S. DOLLARS monthly. With a population of 1.3 billion people, 64% of whom are unbanked, and over 904 million mobile phones, the mobile financial services opportunity in India […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/obopay-india-fights-for-904-million-customers/">Obopay India Fights for 904 Million Mobile Customers</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Obopay India sits at a crossroads. Someone wrote that if mobile money players didn’t face the shackles of government banking regulations, the mobile money industry in India could generate $250 BILLION U.S. DOLLARS monthly. With a population of 1.
Obopay India sits at a crossroads. Someone wrote that if mobile money players didn’t face the shackles of government banking regulations, the mobile money industry in India could generate $250 BILLION U.S. DOLLARS monthly.
With a population of 1.3 billion people, 64% of whom are unbanked, and over 904 million mobile phones, the mobile financial services opportunity in India is glacial. Obopay India and its 15+ competitors have a goldmine. India’s population is exploding, second only to China’s.
But neither Obopay, which started in 2005,* nor its telecom and bank competitors, can easily knock down The Great Wall of India. Central banking rules restrain mobile operators and entrepreneurs in India from launching mobile exchange and other financial services without a banking affiliation.
As a technology player in the mobile money business, Obopay India enables mobile money exchange via carriers and banks. The firm doesn’t sell mobile services directly to consumers. When the company launched in the United States and India, later Africa, it went to market with financial and carrier partners. Nokia also joined forces with Obopay briefly in mid-2011 before pulling out in March 2012.
Other mobile money players are Vodaphone-India and Airtel Money. Both offer M-Pesa-like mobile money accounts. Idea Cellular and tata Docomo are mobile wallet companies.
Mobile Money Regulation Improving Worldwide
However, the situation is gradually improving. Mobile operators, banks, and mobile money companies see growing opportunities. Governments have begun to realize the benefits of financial inclusion for the unbanked and underbanked. Women, who represent a large segment of the needy, will see significant financial improvements.
A new GSMA study on mobile inclusion in Paraguay reveals massive opportunities for carriers and others as the government understands the benefits and simplifies the regulation of mobile money operators. Only 22% of people in Paraguay have banking affiliations, similar to Haiti and Guatemala.
Obopay India: Podcast Interview with Nitin Sharma
Nitin Sharma, Senior VP of Business Development, is my guest for this podcast. He covers Obopay India’s early entrance as a mobile money company, Union Bank, its financial partner, the need for consumer education about mobile financial services, reaching customers through radio, government payment transfers via mobile. Nitin says he’s excited about the growth in Africa, India, and Southeast Asia. Presently, Obopay offers African mobile payments services in Kenya, Senegal, and Uganda as well.
(Learn more about the genesis of Obopay in Africa, India, and the U.S., listen to my 2010 podcast interview with Carol Realini, the founder, and the company’s first CEO.)
About Obopay

Since its launch in 2005, Obopay, a global mobile payment company, has provided solutions to leading brands across industries. These include MasterCard, Nokia, Airtel, Telecel, Societe Generale, and Union Bank of India.
Obopay offers white labeled mobile payment produc...]]>Brian Prowsclean1:066Mastercard Financial Inclusion Africa-Mideast - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mastercard-financial-inclusion-africa-mideast/
Sat, 26 Jul 2014 00:03:36 +0000https://www.mobilebeyond.net/?p=13348https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mastercard-financial-inclusion-africa-mideast/#respondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mastercard-financial-inclusion-africa-mideast/feed/0<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>As I spoke with Sanjiv Purushotham of MasterCard, I sensed his personal satisfaction working on MasterCard financial inclusion projects in Africa and the Mideast. He grew up in India, married, then took another MasterCard position in Singapore. A few years later, he jumped at another MasterCard opportunity in Dubai, one of the hot spots for entrepreneurs. Tall […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mastercard-financial-inclusion-africa-mideast/">Mastercard Financial Inclusion Africa-Mideast</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>As I spoke with Sanjiv Purushotham of MasterCard, I sensed his personal satisfaction working on MasterCard financial inclusion projects in Africa and the Mideast. He grew up in India, married, then took another MasterCard position in Singapore.
Tall buildings surround this metropolis in the UAE desert. Sheikhs and other big-wigs from around the world cut deals in Dubai, an area of the world sporting 76% smartphone penetration.
MasterCard Financial Inclusion Spreads Across Mideast and Africa
Mastercard financial inclusion services helped the Egyptian Central Bank and Etisalat Group, the major telecom company throughout the Mideast, to encourage the unbanked to benefit from mobile money and other financial services.
In 2010, MasterCard won a GSMA award for enabling an ecommerce project in Kenya, the first in the country. Working with Airtel, a major Africa operator, MasterCard enabled consumers to buy digital content in the U.K., Europe and the U.S. Easy enough. Buyers purchased via their virtual cards displayed on mobile phone screens.
In South Africa, MasterCard partnered with the government and NGO’ s to enable mobile money transfer. This helped the country continue moving away from cash to more secure transactions.
Reflecting on these examples, Sanjiv comments that MasterCard follows the “evolution of technology,” solutions particular to geographies and regions. After understanding an area’s needs, it enables a country’s technology for global transactions.
As we finish our conversation, I asked Sanjiv what satisfies him about his work at the end of the day. He responds it’s his feeling of “greater enthusiasm” and “becoming more energetic” of what can be done.
Join Sanjiv and me on a visionary trip through the Mideast and Africa as we discuss MasterCard financial inclusion.
Click here for a podcast interview with Tara Nathan of MasterCard East Africa hosted by Karen Webster.
Sources of Additional InformationSanjiv Purushotham – LinkedIn ProfileMasterCard Foundation on Facebook (Good Source of MasterCard financial inclusion projects)MasterCard CEO in Africa on Financial InclusionTechnology & Partnership Driving MasterCard Financial Inclusion
This is the 8th in a series of articles and podcast interviews with pioneers of the financial inclusion movement. See Carol Realini’s Facebook Page about her forthcoming book clean1:067bKash Mobile Money Growing in Bangladesh - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/bkash-mobile-money/
Fri, 18 Jul 2014 02:27:10 +0000https://www.mobilebeyond.net/?p=13301https://www.mobilebeyond.net/bkash-mobile-money/#commentshttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/bkash-mobile-money/feed/1<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>bKash mobile money is also the story of Bangladesh, a war-torn country formed in 1971 after the Bangladesh Liberation War. But neither the horrors of that war–nor the poverty that enveloped the country since–has stopped the growth of mobile currency exchange. In fact, bKash is now the second largest mobile money company in the world by number […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/bkash-mobile-money/">bKash Mobile Money Growing in Bangladesh</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>bKash mobile money is also the story of Bangladesh, a war-torn country formed in 1971 after the Bangladesh Liberation War. But neither the horrors of that war–nor the poverty that enveloped the country since–has stopped the growth of mobile currency ex...Bangladesh Liberation War.
But neither the horrors of that war–nor the poverty that enveloped the country since–has stopped the growth of mobile currency exchange. In fact, bKash is now the second largest mobile money company in the world by number of accounts.
A subsidiary of BRAC Bank, bKash emerged in 2010 from funding through the bank and Money in Motion, an American company. International Finance Corporation (IFC) became an equity partner in 2013, followed in 2014 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Kamal Quadir is bKash’ CEO and my podcast guest on MobileBeyond.
It was a “perfect storm” for bKash since all parties to its formation have a strong interest in providing financial services to the 160 million people in Bangladesh.
Kamal Quadir describes the marriage of the financial parties as a coming together of “like-minded entrepreneurs.” Add to that Bangladesh’ 98% mobile availability and 110 million SIMS.
bKash Mobile Money Services’ Expansive Growth
Launching operations in mid-2011, the company began marketing its services through agents roaming rural and non-rural areas of the country. Now over 95,000 agents sell bKash mobile money services, including domestic remittance, airtime top off and merchant payments. Sending money home, however, is most popular.
Despite 21 other bank competitors which offer similar wallet services, bKash dominates with 11.5 million customers after introducing its products only three years ago. 18-24 year olds and women textile workers are the biggest fans of the mobile service.
Here is a short video describing the people of Bangladesh and bKash mobile money.

Kamal Quadir believes that much of bKash’ success is due to its focus on poverty, the unbanked, the use of USSD technology on basic handsets and small transactions with large revenue volume.
When I asked him about the future, he quickly pointed out the 148 million potential customers. He believes that bKash is a tool that addresses the need for people to “leap-frog into financial inclusiveness.”
Listen to a podcast interview with a man who feels deeply about his company’s mission to raise the people of Bangladesh out of poverty through financial inclusion.
For further information:bKash WebsiteSummary of Investment Information7 Ways BRAC Bank will Innovate with Mobile Money This YearFacebook PageTwitter Page
This is the seventh in a series of interviews and articles about financial inclusion of people using mobile devices to g...]]>Brian Prowsclean1:058Rural Solar Energy Lights India’s Future - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/rural-solar-energy-lights-indias-future/
Sat, 12 Jul 2014 23:05:33 +0000https://www.mobilebeyond.net/?p=13280https://www.mobilebeyond.net/rural-solar-energy-lights-indias-future/#commentshttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/rural-solar-energy-lights-indias-future/feed/1<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>In a northern village of India, rural solar energy panels quietly produce clean energy, eliminating kerosene lamps that once polluted air and harmed health. Light bulbs shed their glow in the darkness of the night. Fans cool the hot, humid air. A light outside keeps children safe while chickens and cows produce income for families. […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/rural-solar-energy-lights-indias-future/">Rural Solar Energy Lights India’s Future</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>In a northern village of India, rural solar energy panels quietly produce clean energy, eliminating kerosene lamps that once polluted air and harmed health. Light bulbs shed their glow in the darkness of the night. Fans cool the hot, humid air.
That’s India’s future if Paul Needham, head of Simpa Networks, achieves his dream: putting solar panels, the size of two large laptop screens, on every village home and business. In my podcast interview with Paul, an ex-Microsoft entrepreneur, he describes Simpa’s mission to electrify the one billion people on Earth without any power and another billion with little electricity.
Rural Solar Energy from Simpa Networks
Meanwhile Paul and his team at Simpa, along with sales agents who roam the countryside, fulfill an Indian government mandate: grow rural solar energy quickly to prevent further deterioration of India’s environment. The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) says India’s energy comes mainly from coal (60%) with an expected total electrical shortfall this year of 5.1%. The country must move quickly to reduce the health and environmental damage from fossil fuels–not an easy task with India’s growing population now at 1.2B.
Paul Needham – Electronics and Solar Geek
In our talk, Paul describes himself shamelessly as an electronics and solar geek. Leaving his Ph.d. behind, along with a small company called Microsoft, Paul fulfilled his dream of putting at least one light, a fan and a chicken in every village home. (Actually, the residents supplied the chickens, but Paul wanted to make sure chickens got plenty of light for increased egg yields.)
While in Tanzania, Paul watched a woman trying to make money growing tomatoes on an acre of land. Meanwhile, another woman with a solar panel sold top-offs to cell phone customers nearby. The first woman didn’t make a profit despite having plenty of water in the good years; the mobile vendor had a constant stream of customers who needed their phones charged and replenished with more calling minutes.
Paul quickly realized that people could microfinance rural solar energy. Simpa customers put down a small deposit, then continue on a “pay as you go” method. Customers buy electricity as needed, stored on a battery slightly larger than a car’s until they need to re-charge. Using SMS on a cell phone, customers transfer a dollar or two to Simpa for additional juice. After two years, customers own the solar system and get free energy. It’s similar to leasing a car, except at the end of the term, ownership switches to the customer without further payments.
Simpa Networks is doing well in the rural solar energy market. In May, 2014, the company raised $2.2M
]]>Brian Prowsclean569Activehours CEO Says Employees Owed $2T - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/activehours-ceo-says-employees-owed-2t/
Wed, 02 Jul 2014 08:28:45 +0000https://www.mobilebeyond.net/?p=13208https://www.mobilebeyond.net/activehours-ceo-says-employees-owed-2t/#respondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/activehours-ceo-says-employees-owed-2t/feed/0<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Are you an hourly worker paid 2-4 times a month? Then your employer is holding on to your wages waiting to give you your paycheck. Until payday, however, your company creates a “cash float” to pay its bills and maintain reserves. Every company needs reserves–retailers, manufacturers and banks–especially small companies that don’t have high cash balances in accounts. […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/activehours-ceo-says-employees-owed-2t/">Activehours CEO Says Employees Owed $2T</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Are you an hourly worker paid 2-4 times a month? Then your employer is holding on to your wages waiting to give you your paycheck. Until payday, however, your company creates a “cash float” to pay its bills and maintain reserves.
But Ram Palaniappan, the Activehours CEO, thinks the reserves created by unpaid wages are excessive. Ram claims employers in the U.S. float an average $2 TRILLION in money owed to workers. In comparison, Forbes reports the total U.S. Healthcare cost for 2013 was $3.8 TRILLION. That means employers float 45%+ of the annual national healthcare cost continuously.
Companies use this huge “cash float” to maintain buildings, pay utility and other bills, invest in their businesses and, of course, pay salaries. Ram argues you’ve already earned wages. So why should employers float the money when you could use the money to pay bills?
Activehours Advances Your Wages..for a Tip
Activehours is a mobile money pre-pay company that advances earned wages before someone’s next paycheck. Activehours verifies earned income through the same firm supplying Mint (owned by Intuit) with online paid wage information.
Recently, the company launched iPhone and Android apps. After taking a photo of a recent pay stub and sending to Activehours, users request part or all of their earnings and pay a “tip.” The cost? Well, that’s up to each user. Like tipping a taxi driver or restaurant server, you give whatever you want. Ram says, however, that the company is satisfied so far with its tip earnings, although he didn’t reveal the average amount.
Activehours initiates a transfer of its own funds to an employee’s checking account. The customer then uses a banks ATM to access and use the funds. On the next payday, Activehours withdraws the “borrowed” amount and the tip from the worker’s checking account. The difference between Activehours’ accounts payable (advance the funds) and accounts receivable (take the funds back) is the company’s cash float. The tip is gross income. By keeping expenses low, investing the float and tips, Activehours eventually becomes profitable as its assets rise.
Here’s a quick video explaining how customers use the service:

Using Activehours May Hurt You More than Help You
Activehours’ appeal is certainly alluring: “Don’t pay banks outrageous fees for overdrawing your account. Don’t mortgage your financial freedom to “loan shark” Payday companies. You’ve earned your wages and should have access to them whenever you want.”
Outside of using the service for emergency funds, however, I wouldn’t recommend Activehours. Hourly workers, like exempt employees, overspend and find it difficult to budget. If payday doesn’t come soon enough to cover the rent, utilities and credit card dates, then work with each payee so it fits your pay schedule. If you’re paying on time, credit card and utility companies will adjust monthly bill cycles to ensure they get paid on time.
Second, the argument that “the money is yours…so take it when you want” puts a lot of pressure on people to adjust to variable wage payments every paydays. The accounting is much simpler if you know what you will be paid on an upcoming date.
Third, the “tip” is a really a fee. Sure, you don’t have to pay anything,]]>Brian Prowsclean1:0610Wing Mobile Money Sizzles on Cambodia Cell Phones - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/wing-mobile-money-flies-across-cambodia/
Wed, 25 Jun 2014 05:12:50 +0000https://www.mobilebeyond.net/?p=13139https://www.mobilebeyond.net/wing-mobile-money-flies-across-cambodia/#commentshttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/wing-mobile-money-flies-across-cambodia/feed/1<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>People in Cambodia hear Wing mobile money vibrating on phones and cell towers everywhere. Anthony Perkins, Wing’s CEO and a ex-British guy, ponders and dreams about domestic and international money services. No, this is a fellow who’s not satisfied with mPESA-like mobile exchange. As developing nations move from financial exclusion to inclusion, Perkins believes that successful entrepreneurs research desired […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/wing-mobile-money-flies-across-cambodia/">Wing Mobile Money Sizzles on Cambodia Cell Phones</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>People in Cambodia hear Wing mobile money vibrating on phones and cell towers everywhere. Anthony Perkins, Wing’s CEO and a ex-British guy, ponders and dreams about domestic and international money services. No, mPESA-like mobile exchange.
As developing nations move from financial exclusion to inclusion, Perkins believes that successful entrepreneurs research desired financial services. Then they devise marketing strategies to meet unmet needs and wants. This sounds like marketing 101, but it’s critical when launching mobile money businesses.
Cambodians, per Wing’s research, clearly wanted multiple financial products. Bringing many products to market early better assured Wing of earlier profitability on at least some of its lines of business.
Wing Mobile Money Vision and Launch
Funded by ANZ Bank in Australia, Anthony Perkins and the start-up team created the vision and launched their plan in 2009. Wing mobile money would offer consumer and business deposits, withdrawals, cell phone top offs from all five carriers, government payments, payroll disbursements, even mobile commerce.
Television and radio commercials announced Wing’s entry into the country’s 24 provinces. The company also started recruiting agents for its Wing Cash Xpress stores nationwide. Wing didn’t launch all services at the start but its advertising made clear that it planned on becoming a major player in domestic and international finance within and between Cambodia and global finance.
While some services have not achieved management expectations, Wing achieved profitability four years after its 2009 launch with gross revenue before taxes of $1.2 billion. 2014 promises to be a stellar year for the company.
Wing Cash Xpress Network and Stores
Thousands of Wing Cash Xpress locations, managed by trained and monitored agents, now cover rural Cambodia. The Wing card flys into everyone’s pockets like Amazon gift cards. Membership privileges: retail discounts, including restaurants, eye care and cinemas. Don’t yet have a Wing card? No problem. Walk into any Xpress shop to send money or top off your Cambodia cell phone.
Listen to an enlightening interview with Wing’s CEO Anthony Perkins.

Wing Mobile Money Links:Mobile Users (SIM’s) pass 20 million in 2014 (Cambodia)Top 7 Cambodia BanksMobile Money Asia (Comments by Wing’s Founders and Anthony)clean1:0611Mobile Financial Inclusion Grows Kenyan Economy - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-financial-inclusion-grows-kenyan-economy-through-kopo-kopo/
Sun, 27 Apr 2014 02:08:14 +0000https://www.mobilebeyond.net/?p=12943<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>In 2010, a few entrepreneurs in the United States contemplated a mobile financial inclusion solution for Kenya. A land of 10 million people, the majority of the Kenya’s adult population carried ATM-like M-PESA cards. But less than half the population had bank accounts. And until recently merchants lacked terminals to process payments. This made M-PESA useless for millions […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-financial-inclusion-grows-kenyan-economy-through-kopo-kopo/">Mobile Financial Inclusion Grows Kenyan Economy</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>In 2010, a few entrepreneurs in the United States contemplated a mobile financial inclusion solution for Kenya. A land of 10 million people, the majority of the Kenya’s adult population carried ATM-like M-PESA cards.
In 2010, a few entrepreneurs in the United States contemplated a mobile financial inclusion solution for Kenya.
A land of 10 million people, the majority of the Kenya’s adult population carried ATM-like M-PESA cards. But less than half the population had bank accounts. And until recently merchants lacked terminals to process payments.
This made M-PESA useless for millions of Kenyans. Without a payment system connecting consumers and merchants, the unbanked of Kenya carried cash.
Mobile Financial Inclusion Emerges in Kenya
Mobile phones in developing countries like Kenya, however, are ubiquitous. Simple mobile devices with SMS capability would provide a solution for Kenya if phones, M-PESA and merchant payment systems worked together. Mobile financial inclusion among the un-banked would become a reality. One thing was missing, however: a payment service company to integrate the entire system. That mobile financial inclusion solution was Kopo Kopo.
First, here’s a short video explaining the M-PESA phone connection with footage from Nairobi. (For further information, see the excellent Center for Financial Inclusion Blog.)

video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player
Ben Lyon of Kopo Kopo Talks about Mobile Financial Inclusion in Podcast Interview
During my interview with Ben Lyon, Director of Special Projects , he said that 70% of Kenyans have adopted M-PESA since 2007. That’s 7 million payment system adopters in only a few years, unheard of in the annals of financial inclusion.
Kopo Kopo faced a major challenge: convince venture capitalists, merchants, Safaricom, Kenya’s mobile operator and, through them, M-PESA card holders that there was a better solution. Similar to the Chase Paymentech/Square service, Kopo Kopo stressed that M-PESA required a mobile back-end technology player to integrate transactions.
An example is someone having coffee at the Nairobi Coffee House. Paying the bill is a simple “push” action by the customer, who enters a six digit retailer number, the payment amount and pin. Payment is confirmed within 15 seconds via SMS to the payer and retailer.
Kopo Kopo only processes mobile money payments (for now). The company doesn’t enable merchants to accept cards. Safaricom provisions dedicated merchant SIM cards, which Kopo Kopo is responsible for testing, packaging and distributing as part of the onboarding process. In this sense, Kopo Kopo distributes but does not “supply” the SIM kits.
The company is growing quickly. Its most recent transactions equal $50M, a huge part of Kenya’s GNP. As Kopo Kopo’s blog points out, the “world is watching” as mobile payments continue growing in East Africa.]]>Brian Prowsclean40:5412Insurance Financial Inclusion Thrives in Africa with MicroEnsure - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/insurance-financial-inclusion-thrives-in-africa-with-microensure/
Sun, 13 Apr 2014 01:37:36 +0000https://www.mobilebeyond.net/?p=12874<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>What if you could purchase life or health insurance free from your wireless carrier or bank as easy as buying a ring tone? This may be the ultimate insurance financial inclusion tool in Africa and elsewhere. Buy X mobile minutes or deposit Y money in your bank to obtain cost-free insurance. Customers can opt-in by […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/insurance-financial-inclusion-thrives-in-africa-with-microensure/">Insurance Financial Inclusion Thrives in Africa with MicroEnsure</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>What if you could purchase life or health insurance free from your wireless carrier or bank as easy as buying a ring tone? This may be the ultimate insurance financial inclusion tool in Africa and elsewhere.
What if you could purchase life or health insurance free from your wireless carrier or bank as easy as buying a ring tone? This may be the ultimate insurance financial inclusion tool in Africa and elsewhere.
Buy X mobile minutes or deposit Y money in your bank to obtain cost-free insurance. Customers can opt-in by punching a short SMS code into their mobile phone in response to an ad.
The Banking Association of South Africa defines financial inclusion as:
“Access and usage of a broad range of affordable, quality financial services and products, in a manner convenient to the financially excluded, unbanked and under-banked; in an appropriate but simple and dignified manner with the requisite consideration to client protection. Accessibility should be accompanied by usage which should be supported through the financial education of clients.”
In this first podcast interview series about insurance financial inclusion, Richard Leftley, MicroEnsure CEO, candidly describes the company’s mission, beginnings and extraordinary growth. The company has seven million people under its insurance coverage and expects ten million by year’s end.
In 2007, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation began funding MicroEnsure. The company went public three years ago and now offers life and health insurance for medical emergencies, funerals, fires, livestock death and crop loss. Paying claims takes 72 hours max.
The company promotes itself through mobile SMS/texting, TV, radio and billboard advertising. Inbound call centers cross-sell when customers call. Agents roam key markets. MicroEnsure accounts forits success by making the sign-up process simple.
Insurance Financial Inclusion Micropayments
The company operates in 16 countries with millions of new customers and service providers adopting MicroEnsure’s creative marketing strategy: Use banks, insurance companies and mobile operators as partners that offer financial products at no or low-cost. When charging customers for extra services, think micro-payments that are affordable.
Convince customers to use more air minutes and make larger bank deposits. Then upsell/cross-sell. For example, families opt in to free life insurance for the husband. Then, based on increased deposits, offer customers an upgrade for $1 a month for additional coverage.
MicroEnsure’s operator partners benefit as customer loyalty increases through reduced market churn. This reduces customers changing SIM’s in their mobile phones which increases customer ARPU’s. Partners invest only 3% of revenues and receive 10% back.
Richard Leftley Background
Leftley was a successful businessman in London. During a vacation, he took a vacation to Zambia where he stayed with a poor family. The husband developed HIV and required much of the family’s money for his care. They lost their home and lived out of a car when he died. Richard wondered why poor people didn’t buy insurance. Was it the cost? A lack of understanding of life insurance’s benefits?
Richard left his job to work for Opportunity International in Chicago. Opportunity International provides savings, small business loans, insurance and training to more than 5 million people working their way out of poverty in the developing world. Clients in 22 countries use these financial services to expand businesses, provide for their families, create jobs for their neighbors and build a safety net for the future.
Fire in Your Belly
During our interview,]]>Brian Prowsclean50:5413Mobile Device Security in a BYOD Workforce - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-device-security-grapples-with-byod-in-the-workforce/
Thu, 06 Jun 2013 19:03:48 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=11500<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Mobile device security and BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) are hot growth sectors in the mobile industry. Dozens of vendors now offer numerous solutions to enterprise companies and SMB’s that prevent sensitive data from dripping into mobile devices. It’s challenging as podcast guest Ken Khouri of IBM Global Technology will tell you. When Apple announced […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-device-security-grapples-with-byod-in-the-workforce/">Mobile Device Security in a BYOD Workforce</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Mobile device security and BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) are hot growth sectors in the mobile industry. Dozens of vendors now offer numerous solutions to enterprise companies and SMB’s that prevent sensitive data from dripping into mobile devices.BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) are hot growth sectors in the mobile industry. Dozens of vendors now offer numerous solutions to enterprise companies and SMB’s that prevent sensitive data from dripping into mobile devices. It’s challenging as podcast guest Ken Khouri of IBM Global Technology will tell you.
When Apple announced the release of its iPhone in 2007, followed by massive smartphone adoption over the years, IT executives sought data security solutions. New software and systems protect corporate data servers while distributing necessary information to the workforce on their mobile devices.
Even Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD is now the third most popular tablet in the growing enterprise BYOD ecosystem.
Mobile Device Security and BYOD Get Married
Once IT departments only provisioned and maintained BlackBerry smart phones for mobile employees mostly in sales and marketing. Now mobility has spread to all employees, who carry iPhones, Android, Windows and other devices. The BYOD era has forced IT managers to find efficient and secure connectivity for a mobile workforce.
In a sense, the “age of mobile” has spawned a blossoming new era of mobile device security and BYOD. People naturally want to bring their phones to work, especially the heavy users whom Joy Liuzzo calls “mobile intensives.”
Mobile Device Management (MDM) Competition Increases
in 2012, Gartner issued a report–commonly called the “Magic Quadrant--that identified MDM vendors divided into four boxes: leaders, visionaries, challengers and niche players. See the slideshare MDM presentation for all key players.
However, Gartner only included vendors who met its defined standards at that time. Others have entered the mobile device security market, like Novell, but find it challenging to compete against Gartner’s “blessed” players. Niche and value-added players will undoubtedly skim the cream off the top of MDM.
IT management in large part has adopted Gartner’s assessment of vendors who qualify as mobile device security companies. The research company also estimates that 65% of all enterprise companies will adopt MDM by 2017.
A few vendors in the list–such as clean2:0814Mobile Merchant Services Improves Retail - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-merchant-services/
Sun, 17 Feb 2013 04:02:06 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=11217<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>The expression”out with the old and in with the new” might be changing –at least in the mobile merchant services market. Face it, most people don’t want to throw away their credit, debit, discount and other cards flooding their wallets and purses. People cling to those plastic icons like a crocodile holding its prey. So…why […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-merchant-services/">Mobile Merchant Services Improves Retail</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>The expression”out with the old and in with the new” might be changing –at least in the mobile merchant services market. Face it, most people don’t want to throw away their credit, debit, discount and other cards flooding their wallets and purses.
Face it, most people don’t want to throw away their credit, debit, discount and other cards flooding their wallets and purses. People cling to those plastic icons like a crocodile holding its prey.
So…why not marry a credit card to a swiping device connected to a smartphone? What a brilliant idea. In fact, it’s already happening , as Shelley Plomske, VP of Product with Total Merchant Services discusses in our podcast interview.
Total describes itself as a “next generation payment processing company.” At the heart of its operation…mobile smartphones and tablets that gobble up your money quickly with a swipe of a credit card.
Imagine this. You’re shopping at Macy’s or your favorite clothing retailer. A well-groomed sales consultant approaches you, as you finish trying on several dresses or suits. The sales consultant remarks how good you look. And, slowly, with the skills of a magician, the consultant whips out a smartphone with card reader on top, ready to swipe your credit card…Mobile merchant services technology right where you’re standing.
As Carol Realini at Obopay discussed in our podcast interview, U.S. consumers are slowly adopting mobile payments just as bank-less consumers in India and Africa have done . (The United States has at least ten million people without checking or other banking services.)
But as bankless consumers in developing and developed countries realize the ease of mobile transactions, mobile will become the dominant payment method. Merchant payment services, such as Total’s, assure continued growth of mobile payments.
Join Shelley and me in a lively discussion about the advantages of merchant services.
Mobile Merchant Services Interview with Shelley Plomske
Shelley Plomske joined Total Merchant Services in 2012 as VP of Product. She is responsible for creating new products and services. Prior to that in 2003, Shelley was at Mercury, a firm she that rapidly developed POS integrated payment processing technology. Shelley helped innovate the company’s service technology that created competitive advantages for Mercury’s partners.
As VP of Technical Services she lead all development and support. In 2011 she became Senior Vice President of Products.
For Further Reading:
Mobile Payment Solutions – Bank of America
Intuit Mobile Merchant SolutionsPayPal Merchant PaymentsMobile Payments Growing as eBay Buys Zong]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0415WordPress Website Themes Democratize Small Business - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/wordpress-website-themes-democratize-small-busines/
Tue, 11 Sep 2012 19:30:01 +0000https://www.mobilebeyond.net/?p=10612<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>When Don Campbell talks about WordPress website themes, you feel there’s hope for small businesses on the Web. Don left Microsoft four years ago to start a slightly smaller company called Expand2Web. His popular SmallBiz Theme, running on WordPress, puts to shame those $10,000 flashy “WOW!”websites that no one follows. WordPress Website Themes: Find a Niche […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/wordpress-website-themes-democratize-small-busines/">WordPress Website Themes Democratize Small Business</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>When Don Campbell talks about WordPress website themes, you feel there’s hope for small businesses on the Web. Don left Microsoft four years ago to start a slightly smaller company called Expand2Web. His popular SmallBiz Theme, running on WordPress,
Don left Microsoft four years ago to start a slightly smaller company called Expand2Web.
His popular SmallBiz Theme, running on WordPress, puts to shame those $10,000 flashy “WOW!”websites that no one follows.
WordPress Website Themes: Find a Niche
Millions of eyeballs now stare at WordPress blogs and websites powered by premium themes with lots of features.
Luke Burford in Quora writes that the WordPress premium theme market grew substantially in the past two years while generic themes declined. Finding a niche in a market flooded with themes helps define your company’s mission, products and services.
SmallBiz WordPress Theme
And that’s what Don Campbell at Expand2Web has done. He began nurturing the small biz market with very informative, useful YouTube videos and non-technical blog posts covering SEO, choosing a URL and other key website issues.
Then he continued adding new functionality essential for small businesses competing on the Web: a blog, of course to start, followed by built-in SEO similar to Thesis and Studiopress which uses the Genesis Framework
Over the months, Expand2Web continued adding new modules, such as the Facebook integration and mobile optimization for major smartphones. The company will even host your website at very affordable rates.
Here’s a short example of one video explaining theme features.
/center>In the podcast interview, Don describes how Expand2Web started, his views on social media and techniques for getting great website content from small business owners.
Don Campbell Background
Don Campbell is President of Expand2Web, which provides tools and training to help businesses succeed online.
Prior to founding Expand2Web in January 2008, Don was a Technology Evangelist for Microsoft, where he helped partners adopt new Microsoft technologies and presented to C-Level executives at Fortune 500 companies.
Don was also a Group Program Manager at Interwoven, where he built a $5M product line and was a key early employee. Interwoven grew to 1,000 employees and went IPO in 2000.
Don lives in the heart of Silicon Valley – San Jose California with his lovely wife and two daughters.
Don offers a podcast script of our interview on his site. Download it here.]]>Brian Prowsclean1:5916Voice Recognition Makes Home Appliances Listen - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/speech-voice-recognition-from-ispeech-makes-home-appliances-listen/
Wed, 08 Aug 2012 07:48:54 +0000https://www.mobilebeyond.net/?p=10366<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Speech voice recognition has progressed beyond talking elevators and primitive computer text-to-speech and recognition. Early personal computer dictation software started melting like Verizon flip phones. That gave Paul Macarelli, the “can you hear me now” Verizon guy, new television scripts. Many years later, Apple introduced its Mountain Lion Mac operating system with improved voice dictation […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/speech-voice-recognition-from-ispeech-makes-home-appliances-listen/">Voice Recognition Makes Home Appliances Listen</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Speech voice recognition has progressed beyond talking elevators and primitive computer text-to-speech and recognition. Early personal computer dictation software started melting like Verizon flip phones. That gave Paul Macarelli,
Speech voice recognition has progressed beyond talking elevators and primitive computer text-to-speech and recognition. Early personal computer dictation software started melting like Verizon flip phones. That gave Paul Macarelli, the “can you hear me now” Verizon guy, new television scripts. Many years later, Apple introduced its Mountain Lion Mac operating system with improved voice dictation software.
Speech Voice Recognition – Mobile Cloud Computing Growing
Haven’t you always wanted to tell your toaster “toast that bagel.” Perhaps you’ve longed for a time when you could command your HD plasma display TV to “find the Star Trek episode where Scottie and Kirk get drunk together.
In the not-too-distant future, instruct your Android mobile tablet to keep the kids entertained as Mom and Dad relax watching movies. All things are possible with this technology. And iSpeech believes consumers are ready to talk with their appliances using its speech voice recognition technology. (Remember to close the drapes, though, in case the neighbors are watching.)
<In my second podcast interview with iSpeech’s COO, Yaron proclaims “the year of voice.” He says voice is the most natural way to interact with gadgets in our lives. “Why search for the TV remote when you can ask your TV to turn on ESPN. Use the ease of our text-to-speech, voice recognition and cloud servers to power the connected home of the future.”
Mobile has a role to play in the surge to use speech as the primary input on a smartphone. IBM “Shoebox” voice recognition technology feature on the iPhone 4S inspired iSpeech to deploy its home technology.

Yaron Oren, COO of iSpeech

Nuance, well known for its call center and Dragon Systems’ voice applications, just announced “Nina” for iPhone and Android devices. Phone users can interact with their bank. The technology is also used for voice authentication. The wave of speech voice recognition continues in the medical field and other industries.
Acceptance by consumers of speech voice recognition may take years, but not nearly as long as advertisers who kept denying “the year of mobile.”]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0517Selling Technology Products and Services: PBFA Model - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/selling-technology-products-servics-pbfa-model/
Wed, 16 May 2012 03:13:28 +0000https://www.mobilebeyond.net/?p=9983<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Selling technology products and services is challenging. You’re most often competing against similar items from other companies. So how do you approach your target markets with compelling offers? Selling Technology Products & Services Over ten years ago, when I was managing call centers and sales departments, I developed a sales and marketing strategy called PBFA. […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/selling-technology-products-servics-pbfa-model/">Selling Technology Products and Services: PBFA Model</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Selling technology products and services is challenging. You’re most often competing against similar items from other companies. So how do you approach your target markets with compelling offers? Selling Technology Products & Services Over ten years ag...
Selling technology products and services is challenging. You’re most often competing against similar items from other companies. So how do you approach your target markets with compelling offers?
Selling Technology Products & Services
Over ten years ago, when I was managing call centers and sales departments, I developed a sales and marketing strategy called PBFA. The strategy is universal because it helps people better understand human needs and find solutions.
While I implemented the strategy primarily for selling technology products and services, the PBFA approach is also excellent to help people take action. Finding a job or changing careers becomes easier.
Identifying Latent Pains
Briefly, the PBFA model is similar to other selling models with a greater emphasis on discovering prospect pain. I use the word pain, rather than need, want or desire, because you’re more likely to engage a potential employer if you dig deeply to reveal gut-wrenching, underlying latent pains when selling technology products.
People rarely reveal latent pains. In fact, most people rarely think about the latent pains secretly lurking beneath the revealed pains. Many sales persons think they’re only problems, needs, issues, wants and desires. Latent pains, on the other hand, are frequently intermixed with underlying distress. Bringing latent pains to a customer’s mind enhances selling technology products. It makes it easier for buyers to see how products and services solve needs.
Selling is not a Dirty Word
In the 18-minute screen video, I share the basics of the PBFA model. If you consider selling technology products as persuading or negotiating or interviewing, you’ll better understand the model. It’s intertwined with psychology, social media, and networking.
Although I mention mobile a lot, understand that the PBFA model is useful for selling any product or service. Best yet, it’s great for creating landing pages, online ads, call guides, presentations, white papers and sales training materials.]]>Brian Prowsclean18Farmville Customer Service Gives TLC - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/zynga-customer-service-gives-tlc/
Sat, 31 Mar 2012 07:04:52 +0000https://www.mobilebeyond.net/?p=9782<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Like Farmville customer service? Having avoided Farmville for two months, I must tell you how delighted I feel this week. Zynga and its caring public service team reached out to me. Here’s the first email from the company’s VP of Player Advocacy and Service: “Hello Brian, We noticed that your Farmville game has been quiet for some […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/zynga-customer-service-gives-tlc/">Farmville Customer Service Gives TLC</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Like Farmville customer service? Having avoided Farmville for two months, I must tell you how delighted I feel this week. Zynga and its caring public service team reached out to me. Here’s the first email from the company’s VP of Player Advocacy and Se...Farmville for two months, I must tell you how delighted I feel this week. Zynga and its caring public service team reached out to me. Here’s the first email from the company’s VP of Player Advocacy and Service:
“Hello Brian, We noticed that your Farmville game has been quiet for some time. Just a short time ago, your game was thriving from your TLC and creativity. We wanted you to know that your game misses the sweet sound of your mouse clicks.
As a part of the Player Advocacy Team, I wanted to check with you to see if you had any game-related issues that made you move on to other pastures. And because you were so dedicated with with game, I’d love to get your feedback on what would we could have done better.
We value all of our players and want you to know we’re on your side. Let us know how we can get your game going again and we will do our best. If you would like to submit your feedback, please reply to this message.”
Warm regards,
VP Player Advocacy and Service

Zynga Inc.
Now, how often do you hear from technology companies that truly appreciate your business? Especially one that cut its cord with Facebook to better serve its customers. As I re-read the email, I almost cried, partly in guilt because I used the MouseTractor to quickly harvest my crops.

Farmville Customer Service – My Reply
And so I replied to the VP explaining why I avoided Farmville:
“Hi… Great title for a job, I must say. Two reasons for cutting back on Farmville and CityVille. First, I don’t have as much time to play due to my schedule. And second, I got tired of Zynga’s constant barrage of digital commercials. Sometimes it took me five minutes of saying no to your offers before getting to my farm. I’m sure during that time the strawberries were withering.
I also think you should get rid of the restrictions on player levels and what I can get with my points, not just my farm cash. I’ve heard that only 3% of Zynga’s players send you money. But I bet you you’d earn a lot more from a larger percentage of your millions of players if you charged less and offered more.
The energy thing is another irritant. After buying Brian’s Donut Store or whatever, I’m forced to use lots of energy before I can open the front door. Sometimes construction takes weeks.
I’m a blogger and podcaster (see MobileBeyond ) and I’ve written about Farmville. If you’re interested in some humor, try googling “Brian Prows Farmville.” I wrote a scathing piece on Zynga and Farmville last year.”
Keep those games coming!
Best,
Brian
P.S. If you or anyone else would like to appear on MobileBeyond, let me know.
Giving TLC to Farmville Game Players
What an opportunity! I shared with a Zynga VP my candid comments about Farmville customer service. In fact, I’m certain Zynga’s Farmville Team did cartwheels when they read my response. After all, I believe that Zynga’s customer care team is just as responsive as Facebook’s. Here’s to ya!
Customer Service Contact by Zynga Rep
Boy was I surprised when a Zynga Player Advocate sent me an email the sa...]]>Brian Prowsclean10:4519Mobile Ads + Tablets + Ice Cream Sandwich + Carriers Vie for Money - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-ads-tablets-carriers-nwc/
Thu, 01 Mar 2012 03:31:20 +0000https://www.mobilebeyond.net/?p=9661<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Some people think mobile ads are intrusive, apps for laggards, tablets are toys and Android Ice Cream Sandwich a silly name tied to Android OS. (That’s assuming they know Android refers to a smartphone operating system and not Data on Star Trek.) These folks are technophobes. But they’ve probably never met Joy Liuzzo, mobile researcher […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-ads-tablets-carriers-nwc/">Mobile Ads + Tablets + Ice Cream Sandwich + Carriers Vie for Money</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Some people think mobile ads are intrusive, apps for laggards, tablets are toys and Android Ice Cream Sandwich a silly name tied to Android OS. (That’s assuming they know Android refers to a smartphone operating system and not Data on Star Trek.technophobes.
But they’ve probably never met Joy Liuzzo, mobile researcher with InsightExpress. She calls the feature phone crowd that make “cell phone” calls and maybe text a bit, the “mobile restrained.” Joy has to try hard these days, as we approach 50% smartphone penetration in the U.S., to recruit these fine folks for her mobile ads and behavioral studies.
Canvassing MWC’s Exhibit Halls
However, Joy has most fun walking around the exhibits finding “mobile intensives,” those folks who sleep with their mobiles in case they need overnight charging. Plus you never know when important mobile ads will hit your phone.
In her charming way, Joy describes in the podcast interview (her fourth on MobileBeyond), MWC attendees sitting on the exhibit floors playing with their smartphones. Others text their co-workers in the same room during gala events. Joy proudly admits she’s one of them.
Mobile Ads, Apps, Tablets and and Ice Cream Sandwiches
Seriously, though. MWC is the place to be. It’s the largest gathering of mobolites on the planet. Like CES, the consumer electronics show, Mobile World Congress exhibitors demonstrate new products, services and technologies some of which will make it to market. Many won’t.
The Android folks had a slide and free ice cream sandwiches to celebrate the release of version OS 4. I’m sure people like me who only have the latest version of Gingerbread probably snarled at the staff as they walked by the booth. Joy tells other stories in the podcast.
Mobile Carriers Propose Charging Content Providers and Rewarding Smartphone Users

Operators and Carriers want a bigger piece of the wireless content pie, especially mobile apps. While the telecommunications pie grows larger, it’s the lemon meringue, cherry and dark chocolate toppings they really want. Application-driven services sound awfully sweet right now as mobile app developers and the media churn out innovative content and services.
Until mobile exploded, Android mobile devices, embedded applications, mHealth and other mobile products and services sat in the background collecting a measly amount of the $500 billion dollars spent yearly on worldwide advertising and billions of development funding.
Now carriers want to charge not only for the data plans that deliver content; they feel they’re entitled to part of the revenues charged by content producers, using 800 numbers. Yes, 800 numbers. AT&T feels that consumers will love downloading apps on telco lines and pay less in data fees. CNET has an excellent article that explains this inane proposal for mobile app distribution.
Here’s a shoot-from-the hip Google+ member Mike Dano (Fierce@MW...]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0920Amobee Mobile Advertising Adapts to Roller Coaster Industry - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/amobee-mobile-advertising-adapts-to-roller-coaster-industry/
Tue, 28 Feb 2012 09:23:10 +0000https://www.mobilebeyond.net/?p=9642<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Speaking with Mark Strecker and Gabi Schindler about Amobee mobile advertising is both exciting and worrisome. On one hand, new forms of media fill our digital and mobile devices as demand rises in developed and emerging markets. The quality of content varies, but consumers indeed have substantial news, sports and entertainment programs available. In fact, people […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/amobee-mobile-advertising-adapts-to-roller-coaster-industry/">Amobee Mobile Advertising Adapts to Roller Coaster Industry</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Speaking with Mark Strecker and Gabi Schindler about Amobee mobile advertising is both exciting and worrisome. On one hand, new forms of media fill our digital and mobile devices as demand rises in developed and emerging markets.
In fact, people seem to have an insatiable thirst for multimedia, causing telecommunications companies to transition from hardware to software, from dumb phones to smartphones. Consumers’ demand for mobile smartphone apps increases.
Content producers–like mobiTV–deliver streaming video on a monthly fee basis through the carriers. Consumers willingly pay for some digital content–movies, sports, special events–but still shy away from most Internet services. That’s changing as customers mentally readjust from buckets of minutes to buckets of data. The carriers drool, content producers jump for joy and the mobile advertising folks happily wait for the next Gartner report.
But mobile hardware, like tablets, has mesmerized consumers. Amobee’s Gabi Schindler constantly sees flyers’ using iPads and other touchscreen devices. She comments in the podcast about her vision of wireless-enabled glasses, watches and mobile augmented reality, powered by mobile devices with faster processors, higher screen resolution, and mobile broadband. How about a pad computer with a detachable phone built-in for an evening out? These technologies and applications offer mobile advertisers profitable opportunities for sophisticated advertising campaigns.
Amobee Mobile Advertising Ecosystem
In the podcast, Mark and Gabi share their insights about the changing roles of mobile advertising. Like other firms, Amobee helps brands, agencies, publishers, ad networks and operators facilitate campaign creation, placement, and measurement. In a complicated ecosystem like mobile, filled with multiple players like real estate, having experts at the helm is the only way to pull it off. But with trust and greater ad spend come commitments.
Key brands and large agencies, for the most part, have blessed mobile as an effective advertising channel. After the blessing, though, comes performance expectations. Mobile advertising firms must show results. If brands and agencies are going to increase mobile ad spend, they expect to reach goals.
Mobile Advertisers Becoming Mobile Consultants
When Mark and Gabi speak about their business, they almost sound like consultants or adult counselors. They talk about “providing advice” to publishers and operators. “Building relationships” is now the mantra in the mobile ad biz.
So Amobee is targeting developed Asian countries, Latin America and, naturally, the U.S., a country that’s mobile hungry. The predicted 50% smartphone penetration in 2012 is only the beginning.
Listen to two forward-looking executives as they paint a picture of a mobilized, advertised world.
Amobee Mobile Advertising – Further InformationAmobee BlogAmobee Focuses on the Rest of AsiaBloomberg Amobee Statistics
Mark Strecker, Chief Operating Officer
]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0321Mobile World Congress Virtual Reality Coverage - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-world-congress-virtual-reality-coverage/
Tue, 28 Feb 2012 00:15:10 +0000https://www.mobilebeyond.net/?p=9613<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p> Welcome to Mobile World Congress Virtual Reality coverage on MobileBeyond. Rather than flying to Barcelona, Spain from California, I’ve set up interviews with mobile execs at MWC. So we’re nine hours apart but the distance closes to 15-30 minutes delayed coverage. Unlike a newspaper, magazine, digital media can change “static” reality into “dynamic” reality. […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-world-congress-virtual-reality-coverage/">Mobile World Congress Virtual Reality Coverage</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p> Welcome to Mobile World Congress Virtual Reality coverage on MobileBeyond. Rather than flying to Barcelona, Spain from California, I’ve set up interviews with mobile execs at MWC. So we’re nine hours apart but the distance closes to 15-30 minutes del...
Welcome to Mobile World Congress Virtual Reality coverage on MobileBeyond.
Rather than flying to Barcelona, Spain from California, I’ve set up interviews with mobile execs at MWC. So we’re nine hours apart but the distance closes to 15-30 minutes delayed coverage.
Unlike a newspaper, magazine, digital media can change “static” reality into “dynamic” reality. Well, if you use your imagination a bit!
Along with MWC “live” interviews, I’m sharing previous MobileBeyond and IM-Mobile podcasts with you during the week.
This “static” content comes from 65 mobile and wireless experts, who shared their knowledge with MobileBeyond listeners in the past three years. You’ll hear intelligent discussion about mobile marketing and advertising, mobile technology, Mobile communities including social networks and much more.
If you can’t wait, hear any podcast interview on your mobile phone, MobileBeyond or iTunes.
So, as Jackie Gleason used to say (for readers who remember him on TV),
“…And away we go!

]]>Brian Prowsclean2:4322Tablet Computer Screen Sizes Befuddle Consumers - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/tablet-computer-screen-sizes/
Tue, 14 Feb 2012 23:57:04 +0000https://www.mobilebeyond.net/?p=9113<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p> Tablet computer screen sizes offer more consumer choices When Steve Jobs said the best size for a tablet computer screen (i.e. iPad) was 9.7″, all the bright manufacturers, especially Samsung, turned their noses up. Secretly, Amazon did the same with the Kindle Fire. Gotcha, Apple, we’ll make smaller screens for consumers who want them. Heard through the […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/tablet-computer-screen-sizes/">Tablet Computer Screen Sizes Befuddle Consumers</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p> Tablet computer screen sizes offer more consumer choices When Steve Jobs said the best size for a tablet computer screen (i.e. iPad) was 9.7″, all the bright manufacturers, especially Samsung, turned their noses up. Secretly,
Tablet computer screen sizes offer more consumer choices
When Steve Jobs said the best size for a tablet computer screen (i.e. iPad) was 9.7″, all the bright manufacturers, especially Samsung, turned their noses up. Secretly, Amazon did the same with the Kindle Fire. Gotcha, Apple, we’ll make smaller screens for consumers who want them.
Heard through the mobile grapevine today….Verizon Wireless and Apple will release a 4G smaller iPad. Movies, graphics and text will stream in front of your tired eyes, until you hit the LTE button to slow down.
And what happened to the ideal tablet computer screen size of 9.7″? Well, we change our minds, don’t we, especially in a hot market like tablets. Amazon’s tablet computer screen sizes may be an answer.
Consumer electronics gadgets are funny gizmos. On the one hand, consumers gaze in amazement at 55″ OLED TV panels. Then they can’t wait to get their hands on thin smartphones with larger displays and light tablets with smaller displays, despite fast battery drain and fickle touch screens.
Years ago, mobile buyers liked tiny flip phone screens for talking and texting. Then, Cingular (now AT&T) released the first Motorola RAZR at a whopping $500 + two year contract. Faster processors and improved components came to market, encouraging manufacturers to emulate Apple’s iPhone design.
So today it’s nearly impossible to find a mobile phone without a touch screen, camera, mp3 player, GPS and lots of apps. We call them smartphones not because they’re “smart.” They just have more bells and whistles.
Tablet Computer Screen Schizophrenia
Yes, folks, manufacturers and carriers are spreading a new disease called tablet computer screen Schizophrenia. Symptoms include wanting the largest screen size on a smartphone, blurry vision and finger calluses. Then tablet fever hits. Apple’s loyal customers were first to get the symptoms when the iPad hit the streets. Older folks–that’s over 40–next bought them, skipping the smartphone craze while jumping quickly to an iPad.
To the dismay of Apple lovers, the evil folks behind Android (Google, Samsung and others) had the gall to produce a smaller tablet computer screen. And Amazon took the prize with its 7″ Kindle Fire.
Confused consumers stared at their choice of screen sizes, decided to try Android, causing Apple’s tablet market share at the end of 2011 to drop to 68%. Any consumer electronics company would do cartwheels over 68%.]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0423Mobile Website Design & Hosting Boost Local Commerce - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-website-design-hosting-boost-local-commerce/
Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:23:11 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=8984<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>As an over-stressed business person–perhaps a 16 hour a day entrepreneur–mobile website design and hosting are probably low on your totem pole. But your business depends greatly on adopting mobile best practices, including launching a mobile site. Everyone’s talking about the mobile Web. Everywhere you go, people pop out smartphones and tablets. Mobile users view […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-website-design-hosting-boost-local-commerce/">Mobile Website Design & Hosting Boost Local Commerce</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>As an over-stressed business person–perhaps a 16 hour a day entrepreneur–mobile website design and hosting are probably low on your totem pole. But your business depends greatly on adopting mobile best practices, including launching a mobile site.
Everyone’s talking about the mobile Web. Everywhere you go, people pop out smartphones and tablets. Mobile users view their handsets as indispensable. They keep their mobiles close to them 24/7. Mobile phones have changed human communication more than any other medium of this century.
Business owners who believe they can wait to mobilize are greatly mistaken. The world has already turned to mobile devices as the primary communications device. Due to the desktop Internet and smartphones, users’ quality expectations have also risen.
Your competitors realize the power of mobile, especially its effectiveness in local search advertising. Can you avoid taking the plunge?
Mobile Website Design & Hosting Podcast with Annette Tonti of Mofuse
You needn’t convince Annette Tonti of Mofuse, my podcast interview guest. She talks excitedly about the six billion mobile users, 6,000 types of mobile phones, hundreds of browsers and exploding smartphone growth worldwide.
Mofuse and its competitors have positioned themselves for rapid growth in the next two years. Firms marketing a one-stop solution for design, optimization, and hosting, like Mofuse, present a compelling case.

Podcast Interview Topics:

* Why consumers now consider mobile phones a necessity, not a luxury. Likewise, companies want a mobile presence and believe it’s essential their growth.
* Users want mobile websites. Each month 366 million people search Google for “How to Build a Mobile Website“
* Building mobile websites that aren’t “crunched-down” versions of the desktop Internet is critical
* The importance of considering feature phones, as well as smartphones, is key when designing and creating content and layout. Compatibility with 6,000 mobile phone and tablet types, as well as hundreds of browsers, is necessary. Android and BlackBerry smartphones are especially challenging
* Page load time, especially with the growth of rich media advertising and 4G networks, has raised expectations of the mobile experience. (Mobile handsets are now as powerful as desktop computers.)
* Concurrently, Google, Yahoo, and others are pushing for a fast desktop Internet and standards that improve mobile broadband performance
* Why user easy of use when navigating a website is critical. Mobile website design and hosting companies need to offer full mobile management services: design, optimization, and hosting
* Mobile websites will reach 25 million in 2012 while it took until 2001 for non-mobile websites to reach that number. 88% of the Japanese now access the Web each day; 66% in the U.S.
* Video marketing’s influence in growing as rich media firms like Crisp Wireless
* Benefits of outsourcing mobile website design to experienced programmers, improving user engagement
* Delivering fast auto-detect and switching to mobile sites
* Correction in podcast: Local search referred to is 50% of mobile search

Retrevo – Consumer Electronics
Amazon vs. Apple TabletsRetrevo 2012 CES PredictionsFacebook PageTwitter
]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0825Free Facebook Phone from the Media? - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/want-a-free-facebook-phone/
Tue, 29 Nov 2011 21:02:36 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=8607<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>How would you like a free Facebook phone? Did you know Truphone built an app for one in 2007? How about a mobile phone signed by Mark Zuckerberg? Would you pay $1 a year for a Facebook phone? Perhaps free Groupon coupons would get your credit card out of your wallet? Free Facebook Phone Idea […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/want-a-free-facebook-phone/">Free Facebook Phone from the Media?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>How would you like a free Facebook phone? Did you know Truphone built an app for one in 2007? How about a mobile phone signed by Mark Zuckerberg? Would you pay $1 a year for a Facebook phone? Perhaps free Groupon coupons would get your credit card out ...free Facebook phone? Did you know Truphone built an app for one in 2007? How about a mobile phone signed by Mark Zuckerberg? Would you pay $1 a year for a Facebook phone? Perhaps free Groupon coupons would get your credit card out of your wallet?
Free Facebook Phone Idea Killed by Media
Every day I scan media coverage of the mobile industry. And I’m struck by the hysteria, banter, hogwash, know-it-all attitude of people covering mobile–especially digital media. Pete Casmere in his CNN article, quotes an “informal survey” saying that no one wants a Facebook phone. His survey? No. It comes from the Wall Street Journal, which is quickly becoming the authority in the phone industry.
Liz Gannes, writing for All Things Digital, part of the growing Murdoch WSJ empire, asks: “The Facebook Phone. Who Would Want One?” Casmere with CNN titles his piece: “Why is Facebook making a phone that no one wants?” (They probably got together to avoid the same article title.) Google, after indexing all this tripe, headlines the gushy words of “journalists,” with: “Informal Poll. 80% of respondents don’t want a Facebook Phone.”
In case you’re wondering how many want a Facebook phone, Google says 7.8 percent. “See all 28 sources.” I haven’t the nerve, nor the desire, to read all 28 stories. But I think it’s safe to say most of the quotes come from the WSJ. After all, what writer gets fired by quoting the Wall Street Journal?
Android is Dead. Long Live the iPhone
Sound familiar? Well, your editor would have praised you gloriously two years ago if you’d written about Android’s demise. What happened? Well, a few small manufacturers, like Motorola, HTC and Samsung, decided to build them. Neither lawsuits nor Santa Claus, who slipped on the snow at the North Pole, will stop the jolly fellow from delivering the new Rudolph Android Smartphone this year. (That’s the one with the red light on top.)
No Facebook Phone stockings this year, folks. But if it passes media muster next year, Santa’s already making Mark Zuckerberg stocking photos.You see, Santa uses Google to see what’s hot. And if you type “Facebook Phone” in quotes on Google, you’ll get 2.4 million hits. So much for informal surveys.
Facebook Can Do Anything it Wants
If Facebook lawyers can construct such elaboriate privacy policies that confuse even PhD’s, surely Facebook for a few billion dollars can make a phone with its name on it. Perhaps even make a deal with one of the carriers for free texting and simpler cell phone bills. And what about those two-year contracts for smartphones costing you $350 when you stop paying? Surely, the Facebook phone wouldn’t have those.
So, unlike other bloggers, would-be mobile publications (you know, like Cosmo), I say “Who Wouldn’t Want a Facebook Phone?” Even if it doesn’t work, you can always put it on your mantle or turn it into a table lamp.

]]>Brian Prowsclean4:1526Paper Books vs. e-Books In Our Universe - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/paper-books-e-books-in-our-universe/
Sun, 20 Nov 2011 23:18:13 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=8505<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Paper books or e-Books? Which are better? Several months ago, I visited Santa Cruz, a small coastal community south of the San Francisco Bay Area. As I sauntered past a Catholic Church having a rummage sale, I stopped to take a look at the hard cover paper books. I found a copy of Dale Carnegie‘s […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/paper-books-e-books-in-our-universe/">Paper Books vs. e-Books In Our Universe</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Paper books or e-Books? Which are better? Several months ago, I visited Santa Cruz, a small coastal community south of the San Francisco Bay Area. As I sauntered past a Catholic Church having a rummage sale,
Several months ago, I visited Santa Cruz, a small coastal community south of the San Francisco Bay Area. As I sauntered past a Catholic Church having a rummage sale, I stopped to take a look at the hard cover paper books.
I found a copy of Dale Carnegie‘s “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living,” only a dollar, a steal. I bought it, brought it home and recently started reading it.
As I held the book in my hands, turned the pages, felt the remarkable texture of paper and read, a strange feeling of wonder and fond memories of childhood came over me–something I hadn’t felt for years. Paper books had reappeared in my life.
Richard MacManus writes about this in his “Five Ways that Paper Books are Better than ebooks.” He compares his experiences reading paper vs. digital books in five areas: Feel, packaging, sharing, keeping and second-hand book stores. His piece reminds me about my visits to used book stores years ago.
Paper Books in our Lives

Light from my floor lamp dances across the pages. Dark ink on bright white paper delights my eyes. Turning each page produces an unmistakable sound. Something about paper books–not digital e-books–causes deju vu. Days of my childhood reading books in a library floats through my brain. It’s remarkable. Reading paper books causes primal memories to emerge in my mind.
Despite the coffee stains, page tears and notes left by readers, paper books make me feel nostalgic for relics of my past.
Dale Carnegie published “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living” in 1944. My copy was re-printed in 1984 (George Orwell would have loved the year). Whoever previously owned my book didn’t make a single notation, mark or leave a curled page. The binding was tight like a new book. The book’s flaws, if any, compared to an e-book’s perfections, didn’t bother me, except for the lack of underlining and notes that outline great content in books.
Digital Book Imperfections and Reflected Light
But digital e-books have imperfections too. Software mimics turning pages. Electronic bookmarks on an iPad pale by comparison to a paper bookmark, full of memories that enhance reading enjoyment.
Antoher difference is lack of reflected light when reading. Electronic readers–except the black and white Kindle and Nook–are back-lit like computer screens, even television. Without going into the physics of reflected light, understand that as light reaches an object–like a paper book–it’s reflected back in multiple directions. Your eyes use the reflected light to see printed type.
Do you remember ever reading a book in a dark room with a flashlight? Not very easy, right? That’s because, unlike a table lamp, light is reflected only from the area covered by the flashlight as you move it across the page.
Now compare back-lit tablet computers, mobile phones and other digital devices. In bright sunshine, paper books are easy to read since they rely on reflected light. But reading type on an iPad, or other back-lit device makes it difficult outdoors. The type is not reflected back to your eyes.
A Universe of Reflected Light

Stare at the full moon. Take a hike through a forest. Walk into your kitchen. You’re experiencing a universe of reflected light. Everything your eye sees in the natural world is due to reflected light. The Universe is not backlit. And because of that fact,]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0427Media Content Explodes says 5G Wireless Blogger - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/media-content-explodes-says-5g-wireless-blogger/
Thu, 10 Nov 2011 07:50:53 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=3997<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>The year is 2036 and media content has exploded in a 5G wireless world. I insert a memory chip into your right index finger that connects along the median nerve to my brain’s neocortex. I peruse the ancient writings of a blogger, writing about media content in 2010. I become fascinated with the story as […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/media-content-explodes-says-5g-wireless-blogger/">Media Content Explodes says 5G Wireless Blogger</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>The year is 2036 and media content has exploded in a 5G wireless world. I insert a memory chip into your right index finger that connects along the median nerve to my brain’s neocortex. I peruse the ancient writings of a blogger,neocortex.
I peruse the ancient writings of a blogger, writing about media content in 2010. I become fascinated with the story as it unfolds in the three dimensions of my brain…
A Blogger’s Thoughts on Media Content
Here’s what the blogger wrote:
“There’s a price war underway among Apple, Amazon, Hulu, Netflix, Comcast, Directv and other media content providers. And it’s growing fierce.
“I wrote a piece on consumers’ insatiable demand for streaming video and audio and why media content providers are battling each other for a bigger slice of an ever-growing pie (or pizza, if you like). But whether you’re into pies or pizzas, the analogy is valid: both mobile and non-mobile folks are hungry, even ravenous for multimedia, especially video.
Flashback to Color Television Media Content
“Did you know the first patent for color television was issued to a German in 1904 and another in 1925? Then it took another 28 years until RCA in 1953 received permission from the FCC to broadcast in color.
“CBS also started color broadcasts. But, unlike today’s mobile carriers, whose 3G networks gasp for bandwidth, color television broadcasting in the 50’s caused black and white TV reception problems. As a result, RCA sued CBS, refined the receiving sets and, in 1954, began selling color TV’s that worked.
Media Content Channels Grow
“Flash forward 53 years to Internet broadband, fast microprocessors, 27” computer displays, 72′ HD TV panels and smartphones. Not only has video quality vastly improved, but the media content pie gets sliced into smaller pieces as cable TV, broadcasting, the Internet, wireless and other communication channels compete.
Premium Media Content Explodes
“Premium content, a buzz phrase created by media content producers, distributors and marketers persuade you to pay more to view multimedia on your Samsung Amoled smartphone. After all, it’s “premium content”–not regular content. It’s worth more, yes? And it’s only 99 cents…or $1.99…or perhaps more to watch special events. Surely, you have no problem with paying more because you’re getting more. The content is not a five-minute YouTube movie trailer. Come on, this is PREMIUM content, like something you’d view at a theater for $12.”
Back to my 5G Wireless World
I remove the memory chip from my forefinger, think about the blogger’s world 26 years earlier, laugh and toss the chip aside. So much has changed. Media content is no longer a singular activity but a co-creation with many minds across the globe. I share my thoughts about the blogger with 100 friends–simultaneously– around the planet. They chuckle too. “People really thought that way,” they ask? “They watched things on screens,” another asked? “Yes,” I reply,” but then they didn’t live in a 5G wireless world.”
Wearing my artificial reality contacts, I strut out the door into a world created by my own mind.]]>Brian Prowsclean1:0328Feeling Right with My Smartphone After the Sale - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/smartphone-feel-good-after-honeymoon/
Tue, 18 Oct 2011 19:36:43 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=8011<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Feeling right with my smartphone. O.K., honey, I bought you. Even paid $300 because I wanted you to have more memory. You glow, move quickly and smoothly, side-by-side with me 24/7. Yeah…I got rid of the other one in my life. You’re mine baby. No, this isn’t a quote from an erotic novel for reading […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/smartphone-feel-good-after-honeymoon/">Feeling Right with My Smartphone After the Sale</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Feeling right with my smartphone. O.K., honey, I bought you. Even paid $300 because I wanted you to have more memory. You glow, move quickly and smoothly, side-by-side with me 24/7. Yeah…I got rid of the other one in my life. You’re mine baby. No,
O.K., honey, I bought you. Even paid $300 because I wanted you to have more memory. You glow, move quickly and smoothly, side-by-side with me 24/7. Yeah…I got rid of the other one in my life. You’re mine baby.
No, this isn’t a quote from an erotic novel for reading on long flights or before bed (time). I’m describing our infatuation with smartphones. New mobile owners will fight to the death feeling right after shelling out $200-$400 to the carriers, then sometimes wrong. It’s super-duper buyer’s remorse after the honeymoon.
Then the honeymoon ends, like it did for many Android and other smartphone users this week when the iPhone 4S hit the market. Almost happened to me in a Sprint store, as I held my Samsung Nexus S next to the store’s demo, secured with metal and crazy glue. I started to feel wrong about buying the Nexus, rather than feeling right with my smartphone.
James Kendrick wrote an article this week in ZDNet called: “After the iPhone 4S, Android Just Feels Wrong,” If you read Kendrick regularly or hear his podcasts on “MobileTechRoundup podcast.” He’s the right-brained guy who tries being left-brained.
In the article Kendrick writes about the Nexus S 4G (“…a phone I absolutely love…”). Then, comparing the iPhone 4S to his beloved Nexus S Android phone, he says “…The user experience [the Nexus] was jangling my nerves.” His sudden change of lovers came after only three days with the iPhone chained to him: “It didn’t take me long to realize that after using the smooth, polished iPhone 4S that Android just feels wrong.”
Most likely, the RIM BlackBerry execs, after losing market share to Apple and others, must have said something similar: “Well, guys, I love my BlackBerry, but I tried the iPhone and my BlackBerry just feels wrong…I’m not feeling right with my smartphone.”
Feeling Right with my Smartphone

Remember those TV commercials and billboards for Verizon Wireless? “Can You Hear Me Now?” Those were the days when people judged cell phones on the basics. Phone users acclaimed their mobiles based on hard reality. If you could hear someone who called you, that made your day. If your text message arrived before the next ice age, you were a happy camper. Got 4 bars on your flip phone in the mountains? That required giving thanks to the cell god before bed (time). And you had a nice dream about being right by choosing Verizon.
Fast forward…Smartphones arrive…enticing…glistening…big screens… A lot of folks at first ignored smartphones except mobile geeks. Now everyone, including the family dog, needs a phone making them feel cool and contemporary. For James Kendrick, comparing his Nexus S to the iPhone 4S must have raised his blood pressure: “The inconsistencies in the user interface between apps and the occasional lag doing simple things like scrolling in windows just screamed at me.” (I think he was talking about his phone, not his wife.)
Feeling Wrong about Smartphones
Starting in 2012, you’ll have to Google “right smartphones,” then “wrong smartphones.” And out of the 200 million Google hits, guess what you’ll discover? Right. The same phones are both right and wrong–for you.]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0929Future Mobile Media Newspaper Publishing - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/future-mobile-media-publishing/
Wed, 24 Aug 2011 20:14:38 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=7001<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p> What’s the future of mobile media publishing? As digital newspapers and magazines switch to the Web–especially using mobile apps–publishers must change mobile media copywriting strategies. This includes New York Times digital and mobile publications. I was an early adopter of the New York Times iPad version. But I found its iOS app inferior to the Wall […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/future-mobile-media-publishing/">Future Mobile Media Newspaper Publishing</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p> What’s the future of mobile media publishing? As digital newspapers and magazines switch to the Web–especially using mobile apps–publishers must change mobile media copywriting strategies. This includes New York Times digital and mobile publications....
What’s the future of mobile media publishing?
As digital newspapers and magazines switch to the Web–especially using mobile apps–publishers must change mobile media copywriting strategies. This includes New York Times digital and mobile publications.
I was an early adopter of the New York Times iPad version. But I found its iOS app inferior to the Wall Street Journal‘s which has successfully merged written content and mobile media into a dynamic application.
The Times sent me an email yesterday, poorly written by a copywriter, who demonstrates he doesn’t understand mobile media marketing strategies.
Here’s the email’s original copy in blue with my suggestions in red.
—–
Dear NYTimes.com Reader (Brian)
Our records indicate (We’re very sorry you recently cancelled your subscription and wonder if you would share your views on the paper ) that you recently cancelled your Times Digital Subscription. When your subscription ends, please be advised (unfortunately you won’t have access to…) that you’ll no longer have unlimited access to NYTimes.com and our NYTimes apps. (Gap: Give me reasons to re-subscribe.)
As a valued Times reader (since you’ve been a long-time subscriber…) we invite you to resubscribe and enjoy unlimited access once again at an exclusive rate of 50% off for 12 weeks. (This offer is available only to Times readers like you, who were among the first Digital Subscribers.
(KILL) Reactivate your subscription and get (additional new, useful features to the iPad edition and improved the formatting for easy reading.). Unlimited access to all the award-winning articles, breaking news, videos and more. Keep up with the most honored news organization in the world (accurate, timely, insightful news from a top news organization) with two additional Pulitzer Prizes this year, The Times now has an unsurpassed total of 106.
Three ways to enjoy The Times, at home and on the go. All options include unlimited access to NYTimes.com from your computer — and from there, you can select options that give you access to all sections of our smartphone and tablet apps. [Jumping the gun, plus they need to explain the pricing differences; for example, the iPad $20 per month plan doesn’t include accessing the paper with an iPhone.]0
Click here to restart your subscription and save 50%. (We want to make sure you benefit the most from the New York Times, whether you read it on your iPhone, iPad or online.) In fact, we’ll give you a substantial discount on the Times for three months at 50% off if you complete a short survey.
Once again, we appreciate your business. Click here to take the survey and, if you wish, re-subscribe at 50% off.
Thanks for your interest in the Times. We look forward to providing excellent new, information, sports, entertainment and more again.
—–
Mobile Media Copywriter for Hire
Notice that the NY Times email makes it seem that I made a mistake canceling. The email copy focuses on the Times–not me. Like print newspapers and magazines in the past, the publisher thinks that I foolishly canceled my subscription due to price alone.]]>Brian Prowsclean6:3830Take a Vacation with Social Media Mobile Devices - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/take-a-vacation-social-media-mobile/
Sat, 30 Jul 2011 00:39:42 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=6538<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Have lots of social media mobile devices? You’re ready to take a vacation. (Don’t miss the dramatized podcast.) Picture this. You’re relaxing under a beach umbrella with a gorgeous view of the ocean, your kids happily playing in the water, your spouse enjoying beach volleyball. And you? Well, you’re happy as a clam reading your iPad, […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/take-a-vacation-social-media-mobile/">Take a Vacation with Social Media Mobile Devices</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Have lots of social media mobile devices? You’re ready to take a vacation. (Don’t miss the dramatized podcast.) Picture this. You’re relaxing under a beach umbrella with a gorgeous view of the ocean, your kids happily playing in the water,

Have lots of social media mobile devices? You’re ready to take a vacation. (Don’t miss the dramatized podcast.)
Picture this. You’re relaxing under a beach umbrella with a gorgeous view of the ocean, your kids happily playing in the water, your spouse enjoying beach volleyball. And you? Well, you’re happy as a clam reading your iPad, tweeting and staying in touch with your Facebook friends. After all, why disconnect from your friends. Take a social media mobile vacation.
Fred Cavazza, writing in Forbes, says: “Mobile devices like iPhones and iPads allow users to stay in touch with their social graph while on vacations. Moreover, they allow users to share new kinds of content (checkins, photos) in a much more casual context.” Cavazza believes that just because the Europeans get lots of time off, Americans shouldn’t squander their one or two week vacation not communicating with their digital friends.
He’s right, of course. Surely you’re don’t want to screw up your “social graph” by leaving mobile devices at home. You might destroy your Web presence or possibly ruin your relationships with friends on Twitter or Facebook. So when you take a vacation, tell everyone “I’m going to take a social media mobile vacation. I’ll send you lots of photos and tweets that will make you drool.”
Do you remember your last vacation? Did you haul 25 pounds of mobile gear with you? Did you have anxiety attacks if you left without your iPad, iPod, mobile phone and MacBook Air? You’re not alone.
Imagine in your mind the glories of a social media vacation. Actors: You and your family. Commentator: Yours truly. Support cast: Your social media mobile devices. Locations: home, car, beach.
…Mom: “Honey, did you pack the sunscreen, band-aids and iPad?
…Dad: “Sherry [his daughter], where’s the iPad?
…Sherry: “I don’t know. Sammy [her brother] probably left it on the couch. I’ll get it.”
…Sammy: “Dad, where’s my iPhone?”
…Dad: “You probably left it in the car again. Go get it.”
…Sammy “Not fair. Sherry used it last. She’s such a nerd [a one iPhone family, you understand].
…Mom: “Sweetie” [to Sherry], would you also get Mom’s Kindle. I want to read my new novel at the beach.”
On the Way to the Beach
…Sammy: “I’m bored, my iPhone can’t connect to Facebook.”
…Dad: “Here [he throws the iPad at Sammy], use this.”
…Mom: “Sherry, where did you put my Kindle?”
…Sherry: “On top of the washer.”
…Mom: “You mean you left it at home! How am I going to read my new novel?”
…Dad: “Honey, just share my iPad. Just download the Kindle app.”
…Sammy: “No way, my friends expect me on Tagged and Fourquare.”
…Sherry: “And my feature phone doesn’t have Nimbuzz on it. How am I going to communicate?”
…Dad: “Kids, it’s a vacation. You’re supposed to play on the beach, watch the ocean…you know, have fun! By the way, did I put my Nikon camera in the back seat?”
…Mom: “Oh, I may have left it on the bed.”
…Dad: “What!]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0831Mobile World News After Walter Cronkite - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/news-information-mobile-cronkite/
Thu, 28 Jul 2011 03:41:21 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=6517<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>What would Walter Cronkite say about mobile world news if he were still alive? In his parting television interview on CBS, Walter Cronkite bemoaned the 30 minute newscast and how only another ten minutes would provide greater context to television news and information. (Actually, his 30 minute evening program, watched by millions, was only 23 […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/news-information-mobile-cronkite/">Mobile World News After Walter Cronkite</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>What would Walter Cronkite say about mobile world news if he were still alive? In his parting television interview on CBS, Walter Cronkite bemoaned the 30 minute newscast and how only another ten minutes would provide greater context to television news...
In his parting television interview on CBS, Walter Cronkite bemoaned the 30 minute newscast and how only another ten minutes would provide greater context to television news and information. (Actually, his 30 minute evening program, watched by millions, was only 23 minutes with commercials.)
Like small islands in a sea of information, he encouraged journalists to present more contextual, in-depth and less flashy newscasts. His famous slogan “that’s the way it is” may have been a bit pompous, but we believed him. We trusted what he said. And like other great journalists, he did his best within allotted time to explain the important news and information of the day.Cronkite died in 2009, labeled “the most trusted man in America.”
What about Mobile World News and New Media?
In a 2010 MobileBeyond post–“New Media Joins Journalists for 2010 Elections,”–I wrote:
“Throughout most of the 20th century, large media conglomerates, funded through advertising, brought citizens the ‘news.’ If Walter Cronkite said ‘that’s the way it is,’ millions of viewers agreed. Yet even Cronkite, lamenting the networks’ 23 minutes of evening news, said: ‘We are not educated well enough to perform the necessary act of intelligently selecting our leaders.’ Even some voters in the Tea Party this year might agree with him.'”
In his farewell to television, he expressed his concern about the status of television news:

I wonder if Cronkite, handed a smartphone enabled with national and worldwide news and information, would praise Bob Schieffer on CBSNews.com for his 2:46 second video coverage of the U.S. Postal Service’s layoffs? Or the Congressional budget fighting lasting 3:21?
How about CNN.com and other sites, such as National Public Radio, that offer longer and more comprehensive content? Are lengthier news reports–text, audio or video–necessarily better than shorter ones? Do they heighten our understanding of issues, problems and solutions? If Cronkite could choose his venues to present more comprehensive coverage, using today’s new media, which mobile or digital channels would he choose?
Mobile World News SourcesMobile streaming video, provided by MobiTV and other media companies, is growing faster on the Internet than any other medium. Cisco estimates video will consume 90% of all Internet traffic in the next five-seven years.Netflix dominates the consumer video streaming space, while 18 million people per hour visit YouTube.
Increasing millions of smartphone and tablet computer users get their news primarily from digital sources, while most newspapers are dying a slow death. News and information channels fill the Internet and mobile Web with hundreds of choices, while mobile apps deliver multimedia experiences. If Cronkite crawled out of his grave today , which media and news sources would he choose? Would he keep his status as the most trusted person in the media or criticize digital media?
If Cronkite rose from the grave, used his personal computer, smartphone, iPad, television or radio, here are news and information channels he’d find:clean2:0832Mobile App Store Growth and Developers Expanding Rapidly - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/why-apple-is/
Tue, 12 Jul 2011 23:54:44 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=6401<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Well, who said mobile app store growth would become a fight between iOS and Android? As it turns out Samsung, a sleepy Asian giant, now Apple’s threatened lawsuit against GetJar, calling itself a mobile “app store,” demonstrates Apple’s delusional grandeur to dominate mobile, media, entertainment and other industries it fancies. That Apple’s lawyers in the suit would suggest […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/why-apple-is/">Mobile App Store Growth and Developers Expanding Rapidly</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Well, who said mobile app store growth would become a fight between iOS and Android? As it turns out Samsung, a sleepy Asian giant, now Apple’s threatened lawsuit against GetJar, calling itself a mobile “app store,
Apple’s threatened lawsuit against GetJar, calling itself a mobile “app store,” demonstrates Apple’s delusional grandeur to dominate mobile, media, entertainment and other industries it fancies. That Apple’s lawyers in the suit would suggest alternative slogans to GetJar’s management is beyond belief, except for the $18 billion at stake, per Gardner, for mobile app stores in 2011.
Mobile App Store Growth: Patrick Mork Conversation
GetJar, a successful firm in San Mateo, CA, has provided quality mobile software downloads to millions of customers, despite the iPhone Android mobile app store explosion.
In my podcast interview and blog post with Patrick Mork last year, “app store” is mentioned three times and “app” five times. If Apple had its way, my post would sound as if written in 2004 (i.e. “the GetJar mobile software download service”).
Anyone who cares about mobile app store growth should be concerned about the constant flurry of lawsuits among Apple, Nokia, Samsung, HTC and other handset manufacturers.
Not content to win legitimate patent infringment cases, Apple now raised swords with GetJar and any firm selling software calling itself an “app store.”
Mobile App Store Growth Silences Apple
Since Apple is not happy with its “Apple App Store” Google hits, maybe the company should go after the following businesses as well. (Oh, make sure its lawyers include suggested name changes to management in the first threat letter.) To help quell Apple’s lawyers neurons, I’ve suggested a few juicy alternatives:

* The Amazon Mobile App Store (Android only, but that’s probably next on Apple’s list.) I suggest “The Amazon Zap Store,” featuring the “CatZap,” a wireless device to better control feline behavior.
* The Facebook Mobile App Store (in the making): I suggest “FaceApp Farm Store.”
* The Shopify App Store. I’ve never liked the company’s name. Take the first letter and change everything to “The Sap Store.”
* Baidu’s App Store. Perhaps “Bada Bada Online.”
* While Apple, like Julius Caesar, continues seeking world domination, perhaps it should go after the U.S. Government which also provides online mobile apps. USA.gov also includes the word “easy,” an word found on virtually every Apple webpage if not in the legal department. “EasyUSA.gov” sounds good to stop the wrangling in Washington about the national deficit.
* Restraint of Trade. Not only does Apple want the name, it seeks to dominate worldwide pricing and profits in Korea and elsewhere. Don’t like its terms? Then sell Windows phones.]]>Brian Prowsclean5:2933Mobile AntiVirus Software from AVG Keeps You Safe - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/antivirus-software-mobile-phones-tony-anscombe/
Thu, 07 Jul 2011 23:33:25 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=6343<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Now that you’ve protected your personal computer with antivirus software, it’s time to zap those mobile electronic bugs before they invade your smartphone. Here’s a list of the top ten 2012 mobile antivirus software products. Tony Anscombe, who has the auspicious title of “Ambassador of Free Products” at AVG, says Android phones, in particular, need […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/antivirus-software-mobile-phones-tony-anscombe/">Mobile AntiVirus Software from AVG Keeps You Safe</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Now that you’ve protected your personal computer with antivirus software, it’s time to zap those mobile electronic bugs before they invade your smartphone. Here’s a list of the top ten 2012 mobile antivirus software products. Tony Anscombe,antivirus software, it’s time to zap those mobile electronic bugs before they invade your smartphone. Here’s a list of the top ten 2012 mobile antivirus software products.
Tony Anscombe, who has the auspicious title of “Ambassador of Free Products” at AVG, says Android phones, in particular, need attention.
Mobile phone buyers continue changing from PC’s to mobile devices, according to Tony.
Meanwhile, sophisticated hackers, who create malicious bots that invade phones, are making $11,000 per day. They go where the fishing is better, like Windows PCs and Android phones.
Over ten years ago, AVG opened its doors and now has over 110M customers worldwide. Two years ago, management, observing the growth in Android, purchased Droid Security (now AVG Mobiliation), a mobile antivirus software firm in Israel. The purchase turned out prophetic as Android smartphones and tablets are growing faster than Apple’s iPhone or iPad, increasing the need for antivirus software.
AVG’s Free Mobile Antivirus Software
AVG’s free mobile product is more than an antivirus tool, however. There’s an App Killer letting you easily free up memory, an App Locker allowing you to password protect apps you want to be kept under control, Data Backup (contacts, messages, call logs and system settings) a trial App Backup, possibly useful if you’ve purchased apps and want a quick restore, Wipe Personal Data (remotely), as well as a File Scanner.
Many of the programs are in beta and one called Spam and Scam is only available on the premium software version. One useful feature is entering your name which periodically appears on the front screen when unlocked. Registration for all the services is easily done by entering your Gmail or another email account.
Many mobile anti-virus software features are available from Lookout in San Francisco. (See the John Hering post and podcast on MobileBeyond.)
Tony Anscombe – Mobile Anti-Virus King
Tony Anscombe joined AVG in August 2009, bringing over 20 years of IT experience. In the past 12 years, Tony has worked in the security industry. Before joining AVG Tony handled the consumer product division of German-based Avira, an Antivirus company, responsible for paid and free antivirus products.
He helps bring mobile users products and service to market that protect your phone from malware and data loss. He also coordinates AV product testers who improve AVG’s product quality and security.
AVG Technology
AVG is a global security software maker with 110 million consumers and small businesses in 170 countries, eliminating the increasing incidence of Web threats, such as viruses, spam, cyber-scams, and hackers.
With two decades of experience combating cyber crime and one of the most advanced laboratories for detecting, stopping and combating Web-borne threats, its free, downloadable software protects mobile users from viruses and malware. Now with its mobile antivirus software, AVG extends its mobile phone protection worldwide.
In the podcast interview, Tony openly talks about the future of mobile security and AVG’s philosophy that everyone should have anti-virus software (thus, the free AVG version).

]]>Brian Prowsclean1:0434Perfect Mobile Device at a Mall with the Mobolites - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/perfect-mobile-device-at-mall/
Mon, 20 Jun 2011 02:44:21 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=6228<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p> The perfect mobile device. Ah, where is it? How do I find it? Walked around the mall today, stopped by the Sprint store to check out the crowd, expertly playing with smartphones. Sauntered over to the Verizon booth, two guys, talking, laughing, no customers in sight. The T-Mobile store was quiet like a funeral home. No Most mobolites–that’s […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/perfect-mobile-device-at-mall/">Perfect Mobile Device at a Mall with the Mobolites</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p> The perfect mobile device. Ah, where is it? How do I find it? Walked around the mall today, stopped by the Sprint store to check out the crowd, expertly playing with smartphones. Sauntered over to the Verizon booth, two guys, talking, laughing,
The perfect mobile device. Ah, where is it? How do I find it?
Walked around the mall today, stopped by the Sprint store to check out the crowd, expertly playing with smartphones. Sauntered over to the Verizon booth, two guys, talking, laughing, no customers in sight. The T-Mobile store was quiet like a funeral home. No
Most mobolites–that’s what I call “mobile users”–a term as exciting as moth balls in closets– talked, texted, surfed, photoed, mp3’d, geo-located’ed. Unknown to them, I, watching each finger on touch screens, my ears zooming in on phone conversations.
On the Hunt for the Perfect Mobile Device
Continued my journey, like a wolf stalking a nice, juicy lamb. My beady eyes rolling around 180 degrees, leering at all the mobolites playing with their mobiles. As I canvassed the crowd, I kept asking myself: “Is there a perfect mobile device, a phone, pad, PDA, walking radio, anything that people would die for? If I pulled out a $500 bill, sprinted to the nearest mobolite, would it sell me the perfect mobile device?”
I know what you’re thinking. I’m a mobile voyeur on a Sunday afternoon ogling mobile phones and their owners. And you’re right. I’m a mobile blogger lusting, lurking at the food court, RF-tuned to sleek new wireless gadgets, the mobolites unaware of my presence, as they slurp slurpees, dangle french fries without ketchup, little children’s eyes wide like Christmas morn.
Walking past an appliance store, I stop, sniff the air, focus on fridge through window, imagining a wireless refrigerator, equipped with Dolby quad sound, an LCD panel for home messaging, alarm in place when bacon rots. Maybe the perfect mobile device.
But my journey isn’t over, stopping by the water cooler, lapping up aqua, licking my lips when…
A bookstore, across the way, catches my eyes at 20 degrees. A book called “iSteve: The Book of Jobs,” nestled in a basket of apples, shiny like an iPhone’s metallic antenna. Looking 90 degrees left, then right, I slither to the window, eyes on the book with a 1970’s pic of the guy who made the perfect mobile device. Or maybe not. Maybe he’s a fake, someone impersonated him at product roll-out events, a guy programmed to thunder “astounding,” “incredible,” “awesome.” Skip the book. I move on.
Bright lights from the ceiling blind me, the Mobolites moving, pushing against me, taking me to somewhere, don’t know. Crowd thronging through new store, doors wide open, Mobolites 12 across. Into store, no control, heading for perfect mobile device.. Not sure where… but soon.
Thrusting forward to store corner, my eyes no longer blinded. Standing with the Mobolites, gazing at the ultimate new device. Can’t believe. but like a monolith, it’s there….a……ah….a Japanese talking, Internet-connected talking toilet. It is…Surely must be….undeniably true…the perfect mobile device.

]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0935Updated Pandora Internet Radio Talk with Tom Conrad - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/pandora-internet-radio-tom-conrad-interview/
Thu, 16 Jun 2011 04:42:00 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=6192<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Tom Conrad Discusses Pandora Internet Radio In May, 2009, Tom Conrad, CTO of Pandora Internet Radio appeared on MobileBeyond in a “behind the scenes” audio interview. Recently, Pandora went public on the New York Stock Exchange and now has an valuation of $4 billion dollars. Over the years–first with personal computers, later mobile phones, Pandora […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/pandora-internet-radio-tom-conrad-interview/">Updated Pandora Internet Radio Talk with Tom Conrad</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Tom Conrad Discusses Pandora Internet Radio In May, 2009, Tom Conrad, CTO of Pandora Internet Radio appeared on MobileBeyond in a “behind the scenes” audio interview. Recently, Pandora went public on the New York Stock Exchange and now has an valuation...
Tom Conrad Discusses Pandora Internet Radio
In May, 2009, Tom Conrad, CTO of Pandora Internet Radio appeared on MobileBeyond in a “behind the scenes” audio interview. Recently, Pandora went public on the New York Stock Exchange and now has an valuation of $4 billion dollars.
Over the years–first with personal computers, later mobile phones, Pandora delivered a superb music streaming service now streaming over most mobile phones and devices.
What you’re about to hear is the original audio interview with Tom. During the 43 minute podcast interview, he gives greater insights about how Pandora Internet Radio started, the Music Genome Project, growing up as a child and his incredible love of music.
If Pandora didn’t exist, Tom Conrad would have have invented it.
Struggling Over the Advertising Issue
For years, the company struggled without advertising income. Only recently, it began inserting ads in its service. But, like other Internet and social media firms in the Bay Area, the company hesitated, fearing they’d lose their loyal listeners. That was the least likely scenario for Pandora Internet Radio, having gained great respect from millions of Internet radio listeners who take Pandora with them everywhere.
Future of Pandora and Music Streaming Services
Watching Pandora change in the last few years since going public will be fascinating. Listeners and stockholders have great hope that the delivering superb music quality and customer care will let the company compete effectively with Apple’s iTunes, Amazon’s new Kindle Fire and other devices and services. With Tom heading up the company, I have no doubt it will.
I thoroughly enjoyed talking with Tom (we’re both musicians). He’s humorous, yet very serious about “giving people the music they love.” Enjoy the interview and feel free to leave personal comments your experiences using Pandora Internet Radio.
For Additional Reading about Tom and Pandora Internet Radio, see these online sites:

]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0636Media Multitasking Changing People’s Ability to Cope? - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/media-multitasking-marketing/
Sat, 11 Jun 2011 02:35:06 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=6125<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Nicolie Pangis, a Senior Vice President at 24/7 Real Media, wrote a provocative article in Click Z called “What Multitasking Consumers Mean for Marketers.” She argues, unlike popular belief, that new media don’t necessarily destroy the old. People simply adapt to media multitasking. A good example is a teenager listening to music on an iPod, while […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/media-multitasking-marketing/">Media Multitasking Changing People’s Ability to Cope?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Nicolie Pangis, a Senior Vice President at 24/7 Real Media, wrote a provocative article in Click Z called “What Multitasking Consumers Mean for Marketers.” She argues, unlike popular belief, that new media don’t necessarily destroy the old.new media don’t necessarily destroy the old. People simply adapt to media multitasking.
A good example is a teenager listening to music on an iPod, while tweeting on Twitter and texting on a mobile phone. Watching young people engage in media multitasking reminds you of a juggler at a circus. If he starts thinking about how to juggle, he’ll drop everything on the floor. You wonder then how a teenager derives meaning when focusing her brain on three different activities at the same time.
Pangis suggests marketers concentrate less on advertising channels and more on consumer behavior–how people’s brains handle mobile phone calls, Facebook chat, and school homework without blinking an eye.
Twenty years ago, like The Brady Bunch, families watched TV and ate together. No longer. Today, family members are scattered around the home and elsewhere, consuming content on smartphones and other electronic gadgets. According to Pangis, advertisers need to create “multi-platform marketing campaigns,” aiming at “multitasking touch points.”
Behavioral Research in Media Multitasking
Researchers at Stanford found that media multitasking led to diminished performance when subjects tried doing 2-3 things together. Researchers at Boston College believe multi-tasking with computers and TV’s is really “media multi-distraction,” while others at UC San Francisco, think “social media multitasking”– handling email, while on Twitter and Facebook impacts memory.
So where do consumers find the time to consume news, information and entertainment on multiple devices? Nielsen, the television rating company, found in their “Three Screen Report” (mobile, television and Internet) that watching TV while using the Internet rose to 3.5 hours per month in the last quarter of 2009, an increase of 35% from 2008.
During the same time period, online video consumption rose 16% as 44% admitted watching videos at work!
Media Multitasking Without Going Looney?
I believe human beings will adapt to new media channels. History has demonstrated the infinite capacity of people to handle extraneous assaults on their senses. When radio emerged in the 40’s and 50’s as a major competitor of newspapers and magazines, those who claimed the death of print media and illiteracy among citizens turned out wrong.
The same scenario played out in the late 50’s on with television. But consumers managed to multitask pretty well. Readers, listeners, and viewers admirably proved their ability to control media distractions.
Mobile, the most pervasive communications channel in this century, commands our attention the most. But despite increasingly complex smartphones, people adjust to mobile tech fairly well.
So when researchers and futurists speak about the horrors of “multitasking,” know that humans can only pay attention to one thing at a time. It’s an illusion that the human brain thinks about 3-4 things at the same time. What appears as media overkill is just noise in the minds of humans who are fully capable of controlling it.]]>Brian Prowsclean6:0437Mobile Website Designs at Trilibis with Ted Verani - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-website-design-trilibis/
Sat, 04 Jun 2011 22:34:07 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=6035<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>We take a lot of things for granted? Like mobile website designs. If you awakened one morning, turned on your smartphone and none of your apps worked, what would you do? Would you stare at a blank dark screen and only make phone calls? Or would you hit the browser button taking you to a […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-website-design-trilibis/">Mobile Website Designs at Trilibis with Ted Verani</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>We take a lot of things for granted? Like mobile website designs. If you awakened one morning, turned on your smartphone and none of your apps worked, what would you do? Would you stare at a blank dark screen and only make phone calls?
Would you stare at a blank dark screen and only make phone calls? Or would you hit the browser button taking you to a mobile website that was created by a mobile Website designs expert? Even without addictive apps, you’d still have your mobile caffeine fix.
In our smartphone app world, we sometimes forget about the importance of the mobile Internet and mobile websites.
Show me a great application software program, a masterpiece of mobile app development, and I’ll bet you a dollar (make it $5) that it would die quickly without Web content from a website, blog or another web page floating through Cyberspace.
As consumers continue upgrading to mobile smartphones (soon to reach 50%+ penetration in the U.S.), companies will experience negative consumer reaction if their websites are not mobile-friendly.
Consumer expectations, especially among what mobile researcher Joy Liuzzo calls “mobile intensives,” are high. Joy claims that intensives use virtually every smartphone function including Web surfing. Moreover, they influence their friends about the best phones on the market, carrier quality, and especially their favorite websites. That’s why it’s critical that professionals in mobile Web design create remarkable, easy to navigate sites.
Mobile Website Designs at Trilibis
Ted Verani at Trilibis, a mobile website design company, mentioned in our audio interview that 80% of major brands and companies still lack a mobile website.Yet Jumptap, a mobile advertising start-up, recently discovered that 58% of mobile users get much of their content from surfing the Internet.
Making sure mobile websites display correctly falls on Verani and Trilibis Mobile. Founded in 2002, Trilibis has helped companies such as Match.com, Citysearch, Evite, NASCAR, NFL and American Idol create mobile Web design solutions. To support its development efforts, Trilibis created SmartPath®, a flexible mobile publishing platform, that streamlines mobile Website development that’s compatible with over 6,000 legacy and newer handsets.
To date, Trilibus has developed over 300 mobile sites mostly for enterprise companies. Ted Verani is a veteran in the mobile and wireless space. Over the past 13 years, he’s held leadership roles with established companies. As SVP of Sales and Marketing at Trilibis Mobile, Ted focuses on strategic account development, carrier relations, and marketing.
He holds an MBA in Marketing from the Marshall School of Business at University of Southern California, and a BA in Economics and International Relations from the University of California, Davis. Without hesitation, Ted says that “everyone needs a mobile website.” But he also recommends that brands consider applications along with mobile websites. In some cases, having both improves marketing and promotion objectives.
Growth of Mobile Website Designs in the Ecosystem
Ted and Trilibis, since its inception, have closely watched the growing influence of mobile. In the “early days”–the last 5-7 years–Brew and Java dominated most cell phones. The browsers were primitive and carriers controlled content on WAP sites.
Those were the days of short news, sports, weather and simple game software scrunched into small type on browsers. The dream of Java for app programmers–“write once,]]>Brian Prowsclean30:5338Samsung Nexus S Signal Issues Irk Customers - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/samsung-nexus-s-signal-issues/
Wed, 01 Jun 2011 01:41:30 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=5999<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>The Sprint Samsung Nexus S Story Like many of you, I upgraded to a Samsung Nexus S a few days ago. Then I spent time today with the Sprint Community and Google Samsung Nexus S forum folks online. Lots of chat about weak RF signals. So I Googled around the Web and found mostly praise for […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/samsung-nexus-s-signal-issues/">Samsung Nexus S Signal Issues Irk Customers</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>The Sprint Samsung Nexus S Story Like many of you, I upgraded to a Samsung Nexus S a few days ago. Then I spent time today with the Sprint Community and Google Samsung Nexus S forum folks online. Lots of chat about weak RF signals.
The Sprint Samsung Nexus S Story
Like many of you, I upgraded to a Samsung Nexus S a few days ago. Then I spent time today with the Sprint Community and Google Samsung Nexus S forum folks online. Lots of chat about weak RF signals.
So I Googled around the Web and found mostly praise for the Google Voice integration, Gingerbread OS and fast 1ghz Hummingbird processor. Twitter chatter about the phone was basically positive
Finally, it struck me… The weak RF signal, fast battery drain and customer support complaints are similar to the first HTC-manufactured Nexus One released over a year ago.
Remember? Google and T-Mobile tried to sell the phone direct to consumers, resulting in a customer scream about poor customer service heard in Taipei. In fact, I wrote a blog post at that time called “Nexus One Needs Customer Support from Google.”
In that post, I criticized Google for launching its own sophisticated smartphone without preparing for the required support, leaving T-Mobile like a dead rat hung out to dry. Similar to Sprint and Samsung with the Samsung Nexus S, Google doesn’t like getting its hands dirty when releasing its own branded Android devices. So manufacturers and carriers, this time Sprint, have to handle customer support.
The iPhone Mystery – Deja Vu?
But is there more behind the intrigue? The Apple/AT&T spat with iPhone customers about poor reception and fast battery drain sounds awfully familiar, doesn’t it? And since Apple is suing Samsung about their Android smartphones, is this situation more than a coincidence? Perhaps Samsung is guilty of patent infringement and lifted Apple’s RF and battery circuitry, then colluded with Google to foist the Samsung Nexus S on unsuspecting consumers?
Remember the infamous case of the lost iPhone 4 left in a bar by an Apple employee and retrieved by Gizmodo. Jason Chen, its editor, had to fight like Nixon protecting the Watergate tapes.
And don’t forget the more recent Thomas Edison estate lawsuit against Apple for stealing Mr. Edison’s telephone patents to make the iPhone.
Yes, I firmly believe there’s a plot in the smartphone business–and only the Sprint 4G cats really know what happened in this strange story of the Samsung Nexus S.

]]>Brian Prowsclean3:3739Get Tagged with Steve Sarner at Tagged.Com - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/get-tagged-at-tagged-dot-com/
Sat, 14 May 2011 01:51:12 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=5610<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>What do you do when you’re part of a social network company with 100 million members in 200 countries who love to get tagged? Steve Sarner, VP of Marketing at Tagged.com, is working on that challenge right now. Oh, by the way, he’d loved the firm to generate $100 million in revenue. Not bad for […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/get-tagged-at-tagged-dot-com/">Get Tagged with Steve Sarner at Tagged.Com</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>What do you do when you’re part of a social network company with 100 million members in 200 countries who love to get tagged? Steve Sarner, VP of Marketing at Tagged.com, is working on that challenge right now. Oh, by the way,Tagged.com, is working on that challenge right now.
Oh, by the way, he’d loved the firm to generate $100 million in revenue. Not bad for a growing group of some 30 to 40 people with high hopes and big plans.
The company bills itself as the leading social network for meeting new people. While others–like Facebook–are meeting places for friends and relatives, this online haven likes the term “social discovery.”
And the team is very patient about producing their first movie, which Steve says won’t be called “The Tagged.” That should cut an enormous amount of litigation for which Facebook is well-known.
Drawing from a diverse group of people worldwide, Tagged attracts a wide diversity of people who want to connect, whether through online chatting, social gaming, flirting, virtual gifts or advanced browsing. And over 10,000 of them are even willing to shell out $20 a month for VIP membership, unheard of at most social network sites.
Hispanics, Afro Americans and women in their 30’s and 40’s come to the site in droves. Globally, Tagged’s tentacles reach out to the U.K., Egypt, the Netherlands and all points in any direction, with 20% hitting the site from the U.S.
Since Facebook emerged, social networking entrepreneurs have waved white flags and conceded to the 700 pound gorilla.
Curiously, Tagged has an 80% overlap with the behemoth, and Sarner proudly claims that his social network comes first among members.
In the Beginning…
After God created the Earth, water, animals and people, next came social networks. While my order of historical events may be wrong, it’s hard for anyone to live their life without tweeting, posting online and playing games, preferably on souped-up androgynous or iPhonish smartphones. God created those next, followed by the Pope’s “Confession,” a Roman Catholic app helping the wayward prepare to reveal their sins. He might have referred them to Tagged as well.
That’s good for Steve and his business. Since launching iPhone and Android apps, members have wirelessly connected in droves on the company’s servers for mobile flirt chat. That’s raised the bar on Android sites (Tagged.com is now #3 ) with 10% of total traffic coming from mobile phones. (Tagged announced a BlackBerry version in June, 2011.)
What Do We Do Now?
After a few years of email spam and other legal actions against the company, Greg Tseng, the company’s CEO and founder, like Paul in the Bible hit by lightning and falling off his horse, saw the light. Per Steve, he’s leading and growing his team into a real business, bringing aboard some heavyweights from area tech firms.
In my audio interview with Sarner, we talk about the foibles of Facebook, which somehow keeps discovering flaws protecting member’ privacy, helped no doubt by marketers and advertisers who love behavioral profiling of social networkers. Steve says the company is developing policies and capabilities to keep “aggregator” marketing firms away from Tagged, reducing the chance that a mortuary will tag you as a likely candidate needing its immediate services.
]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0840Are Mobile Geeks and Technophobes Apathetic About Technology? - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-geeks-technophobes-apathetic-about-technology/
Mon, 09 May 2011 18:41:24 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=5549<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Have you ever been to a party or other social event where you’re talking excitedly with someone who has no interest in mobile technology? You’re bubbling over like warm champagne shooting out of a bottle on New Year’s Eve, while you start feeling “hey, this nerd couldn’t care less about technology. “I’m a mobile geek; […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-geeks-technophobes-apathetic-about-technology/">Are Mobile Geeks and Technophobes Apathetic About Technology?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Have you ever been to a party or other social event where you’re talking excitedly with someone who has no interest in mobile technology? You’re bubbling over like warm champagne shooting out of a bottle on New Year’s Eve,
You’re bubbling over like warm champagne shooting out of a bottle on New Year’s Eve, while you start feeling “hey, this nerd couldn’t care less about technology. “I’m a mobile geek; he’s a technophobe“.
It happens a lot to me. As a blogger and podcaster, I talk with lots of people in the “tech business” –you know, pro-mobile people who love three hour conversations about Samsung OLED screens vs. iPhone 4 pixel counts. Or why mobile cloud computing will save the human race.
Inevitably, while in a car or at a social event, I get stuck having a conversation with someone whose appreciation of technology is limited to Cuisinart coffee makers. Pure apathy. Glazed-over eyes staring out windows. Expression-less faces. Definitely an anti-technology person, not a mobile geek.
Then I tell myself: “Brian, you’re boring this nerd to death. It feels like attending a funeral.” Of course, if I was at a funeral, I could at least meander off to the deceased in the coffin and have a one-way conversation about mobile streaming video. But no, I’m talking with a live person who couldn’t care less about mobile technology, someone who’s not wishing for a $400 smartphone at Christmas.
Mobile Tech Apathy Growing
So, what do you do when you have a burning question that’s causing gastric distress? Right, Google it.
And so I did. I searched for “mobile technology apathy,” resulting in over 500,000 Google hits in 1.7 seconds. Let me share a few of the juicier stories.

* “The Truth Behind Facebook’s Android Apathy” (BNET) – Chris Dannen complained about the lack of superior Facebook Android apps due to apathy at Facebook. He’s probably praying that Matt Zuckerberg will commission an Android app 10 times better than the iPhone’s. After all, over 60% of Facebook members access the site with their phones increasingly with Android devices.
* From the great continent of Africa, I read about “KuweniSerious Fighting the Evil Forces of Apathy.” Started by three Kenyans, the group’s slogan is “get serious…be real,” hoping young Africans will become more concerned about African poverty, the lowly status of women and other social issues, and then use technology to improve things. The mobile geeks want apathetic Kenyans to embrace technology and even created a short YouTube video about discrimination against women in Kenya.

* Digital marketing agency White Horse released a new survey about consumer interest in location-based services. 437 smartphone users, whom the firm interviewed, didn’t care about geolocation services offered by Gowalia, Foursquare, Google Latitude and Facebook Places. In fact, 60% of active users don’t use LBS and 70% of non-smartphone owners don’t understand how it works. So even the pro-mobiles are apathetic about finding their friends’ locations.
* But don’t worry. A Canadian group , called “Apathy is Boring,” is engaging young people to become responsible citizens by using technology to improve society. From apathy to the world of mobile geeks.

I wonder, then, about apathy and the future of mobile technology. Besides the “haves” and “have-nots,]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0841New Media Marketing Challenges Dallas News - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/dallas-news-new-media-marketing/
Sun, 24 Apr 2011 22:31:25 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=5313<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>New media marketing is making newspaper marketers scratch their head. But why is it so difficult to understand how Internet surfers use the Web for news and information? While searching through my Google News page this morning, I clicked on “mobile Internet devices” and an interesting article on Cloud Computing getting clobbered by regulators popped up. Here’s […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/dallas-news-new-media-marketing/">New Media Marketing Challenges Dallas News</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>New media marketing is making newspaper marketers scratch their head. But why is it so difficult to understand how Internet surfers use the Web for news and information? While searching through my Google News page this morning,New media marketing is making newspaper marketers scratch their head. But why is it so difficult to understand how Internet surfers use the Web for news and information?
While searching through my Google News page this morning, I clicked on “mobile Internet devices” and an interesting article on Cloud Computing getting clobbered by regulators popped up. Here’s the Google listing:
Does the Dallas Morning News Get New Media Marketing?
Google’s search engine has placed a DallasNews.com article link at the top of a search ready for media consumption. You’d think the Dallas News’ media marketing management would do cartwheels. Out of all the articles published on cloud computing, the online version of its paper gets the top spot in organic search, the desire of every online publisher.
Then disaster strikes. After clicking on the Google link, I see:
Dallas Newspaper Teases me with “but”
The Dallas News tempts me with a great opening and ends with “…but.” My reader satisfaction with the paper drops 20%. I need “subscriber content access” to read the story. Its online newspaper articles, even those referred by search engines, aren’t available except for subscribers.
Instead of signing in, since I’m not a subscriber, I click on “view subscriber benefits” and voila!:
But I’m Not a Registered User…Ahem
The Dallas News has an iPhone and iPad app. Now I’m excited. The paper understands new media marketing…until I become confused reading about becoming a “registered user” vs. a “news subscriber.” What the heck, I click on “Activate.”
Hold the press. Now I read: “If you are not a newspaper subscriber, sign in or create a DallasNews.com member account through the member sign-in box or by registering. I click on “member registration.”
But the Dallas Paper Wants More Information than a Credit Bureau
Hmm. This online publisher now wants me to provide all “member” details and I’m not even a subscriber. How did I get to this page? Why would the Dallas News not stop me cold like on Farmville: “Whoa, farmer, you haven’t planted enough beans yet.”
The requested information is also curious. The paper needs my phone number to link online membership to “subscriber content” should I decide to become a subscriber to The Dallas Morning News. Huh? I thought only subscribers get access to online content. The copywriter needs a course in new media marketing.
I also must reveal my birth year and gender so the paper can “…better understand our audience and to be in compliance with the Child Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)…Your privacy is important to us. We will not share your information with third-parties.” Now I’m convinced the paper borrowed Facebook’s privacy page.
What the heck. I fill out the form, click “submit.” Hurrah, I now have “full access” to online content. I had to read fast, though, because the web page re-directed to…you guessed it…the subscription page:
]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0842Technology Dependence – An Illness in Disguise? - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/technology-dependence/
Sat, 23 Apr 2011 23:48:42 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=5298<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Do you think people suffer from technology dependence? Has Silicon Valley planted viruses in electronic devices making us dependent on what it produces? Like a perpetual illness, are we so dependent on technology that living without continuous digital change our brains would wither? Technology is miraculous and wonderful when it performs well. If your computer, smartphone, […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/technology-dependence/">Technology Dependence – An Illness in Disguise?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Do you think people suffer from technology dependence? Has Silicon Valley planted viruses in electronic devices making us dependent on what it produces? Like a perpetual illness, are we so dependent on technology that living without continuous digital ... are we so dependent on technology that living without continuous digital change our brains would wither?
Technology is miraculous and wonderful when it performs well. If your computer, smartphone, HD TV or even a toaster fails, however, you feel like throwing the darn things out a second story window or stomping on them. This is particularly true of Web-connected devices when low-cost components fail, making them unusable. Technology dependence rears its ugly head.
As a online publisher, blogger and podcaster, I rely on computers, high speed broadband, wireless routers, Web servers, hosting accounts, website optimization services, cloud computing and lots of software. In other words, technology dependence benefits my business. More precisely, I’m Internet dependent. When connectivity drops, I’m dead in the water. Technology dependence is the rule for me, most businesses and individuals. But it comes at a cost.
Technology Dependence: The $55 Bad Hard Disk
Three days ago, a $55 bad hard drive on my iMac halted my business. It started first with wireless connectivity loss, then program crashes, followed by slow computer response, file corruption and, finally, a failed hard drive. After trying Disk Utility and TechTool Pro software fixes multiple times and re-installing the Mac operating system three times, it became clear my Mac’s hard disk had gone to HD Heaven.
I spent countless hours trying to fix the problem while losing hours of sleep. But the worst consequence of my failed hard drive was lost business productivity, a killer in online publishing. My technology dependence cost me far more than replacing a $55 hard disk. It interrupted my business and personal life and caused unnecessary stress.
Wireless Technology Dependence Disruptions

Now that the iMac is operating flawlessly and the software 98% restored, I reflected on how technology–especially wireless tech–makes us vulnerable to business and individual disruptions in our lives–disruptions that cost money, time and affect our sanity.
When cell phones were primarily used for phone calls, getting disconnected or ruining the darn things by dropping them was a minor inconvenience.
How things have changed. We now carry in our pockets tiny, powerful computers used more for data processing and transmission than talking. Our mobile lives keep our wireless devices within nine feet of us 24/7 and many people can’t imagine living without them. Wireless technology dependence spreads across the globe as six billion people depend on reliable mobile phones for business, commerce and personal communications.
Data centers and cloud computing services (a $100 billion industry) circle the Earth connecting huge communication networks run by Google, Amazon and major enterprises. Back at home and in the office, smartphones, tablet computers and other wireless devices have added a new technology dependence factor. We’ve become mobile nomads, constantly in motion and dependent on the nearest cell tower or Internet server farm, as wireless spectrum becomes more scarce.
Meanwhile,]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0843Mobile Cloud Computing Likes Dumb Smartphones - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-cloud-computing-likes-dumb-smartphones/
Thu, 14 Apr 2011 01:09:50 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=5229<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Mobile Cloud Computing is taking the world by storm as desktop computers fade into oblivion. Steve Ballmer of Microsoft, speaking at the Gartner Symposium last October 2010, “hinted,” as EWeek wrote, those Windows smartphones were just like desktops and laptops. In other words, these powerful new mobile devices are only miniatures of bigger gadgets, like […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-cloud-computing-likes-dumb-smartphones/">Mobile Cloud Computing Likes Dumb Smartphones</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Mobile Cloud Computing is taking the world by storm as desktop computers fade into oblivion. Steve Ballmer of Microsoft, speaking at the Gartner Symposium last October 2010, “hinted,” as EWeek wrote, those Windows smartphones were just like desktops an...
Mobile Cloud Computing is taking the world by storm as desktop computers fade into oblivion.
Steve Ballmer of Microsoft, speaking at the Gartner Symposium last October 2010, “hinted,” as EWeek wrote, those Windows smartphones were just like desktops and laptops.
In other words, these powerful new mobile devices are only miniatures of bigger gadgets, like ancient DEC mini-computers to IBM mainframes.
Ballmer later spoke at the Convergence Conference, blessing both PC and mobile cloud computing, as he proclaimed from the papal throne: “Everyone of our products will be engineered to deliver the full benefits of the cloud,” hopefully before the second coming.
As I reflected on Microsoft’s failed Windows mobile strategy–and Ballmer’s comments–I began asking myself “why do we need smartphones that eat battery energy like vampires feasting on blood at a potluck?
With 4G wireless networks, more powerful mobile cloud computing, and 3ghz mobile phone processors, why are phone manufacturers stuffing gigabytes of memory, over bloated operating systems and mobile application software causing phones to go into cardiac arrest?
Instead, why aren’t we using dumb smartphones–light weight, most empty shells with powerful processors and just enough memory for even the geekiest multi-tasker.
Mobile Cloud Computing, Security, and Cheaper Computers
Personal computers demonstrate the same problem. We’ve created power-hungry monster machines, loaded like a Lamborghini, with unnecessary one terabyte disk drives and 200-megabyte software programs.
Instead, why not downsize computer boxes to shells connected to 50Mbps broadband?
Mike Demier in a blog post discusses a world of Google cloud computing and applications making netbooks disposable. He points out three major benefits:

* Cloud computing security. No worries about lost or stolen computers since none contain any data or applications
* Quick boot times due to Chrome OS and solid-state drives
* Cheaper computers. Similar to Android, Chrome OS is free

Despite Steve Ballmer’s praise of mobile cloud computing, I can hear his teeth grinding as he ponders the days when every loyal American had two cars in the garage, a mortgage and several PC’s running Windows off a hard drive.
Mobile in the Cloud Growing to $9.5B
Wouldn’t your life become simpler if dumb smartphones turned on like a light bulb with all your apps and programs available in ten nanoseconds? Wouldn’t you love a mobile device as fast as a roadrunner, swapping apps in and out of memory without any concerns about dead batteries?
Like a TV, which doesn’t contain programs, how about dumb phones becoming smarter when connected to the Internet?
In the latest study from Juniper Research, they predict a $9.5 BILLION market for cloud-based mobile applications by 2014. The future of mobile cloud computing? Dream on…
Related Articles:
“Does Psychological Distance Cause Cloud Computing Resistance”
“Speech Recognition from iSpeech Makes Appliances Listen“]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0944Mobile Privacy Hits Pandora Again as Smartphone Sales Soar - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/smartphone-app-mobile-privacy/
Tue, 05 Apr 2011 02:53:35 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=5151<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Things are heating up in Washington. No, it’s not reconciling a one trillion plus budget before the government shuts down. It’s consumer mobile privacy and Pandora Media, the Internet radio company that’s going public with an IPO. According to the LA Times, a federal grand jury would like to talk with Pandora about personal data sharing, […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/smartphone-app-mobile-privacy/">Mobile Privacy Hits Pandora Again as Smartphone Sales Soar</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Things are heating up in Washington. No, it’s not reconciling a one trillion plus budget before the government shuts down. It’s consumer mobile privacy and Pandora Media, the Internet radio company that’s going public with an IPO.
Things are heating up in Washington. No, it’s not reconciling a one trillion plus budget before the government shuts down. It’s consumer mobile privacy and Pandora Media, the Internet radio company that’s going public with an IPO.
According to the LA Times, a federal grand jury would like to talk with Pandora about personal data sharing, using mobile applications, on Android and Apple smartphones.
This follows months of investigations by the Wall Street Journal analyzing online marketing tracking of consumer behavior. (For background, see MobileBeyond articles on mobile, Facebook and wireless monitoring worldwide.)
Pandora and the Music Genome Project
Now with over 80 million listeners, Pandora is the largest Internet music streaming service, available on most smartphones, tablet and personal computers. In my audio interview with Tom Conrad, the company’s CTO, we discussed the Music Genome project, an extensive study of listener music preferences. For years, the company offered its service free without advertising as it responded to listeners’ music preferences. For the full length interview with Tom, see Exclusive Pandora Internet Radio Tom Conrad Interview.
In a sense, the Music Genome Project’s data collection is similar to the current fracas over online and smartphone app mobile privacy with one difference. Pandora listeners know they’re sending private information to Pandora. In return, users listen as long as they want. Before marketers and advertisers sought better consumer data, Pandora already used customer feedback to improve the service, not spy on people. But things have changed. People, without their knowledge, are sharing millions of data bits with unknown marketers and advertisers.
Marketing Tracking Technology Advances
How times change. They’re now hundreds of marketing tracking companies who use technology to monitor online consumer behavior from website-to-website. As consumers shift to mobile devices, especially smartphones and tablets, mobile marketers and advertisers seek even more user data to target phone users.
GPS, mapping and navigation applications monitor consumer locations. Social networking sites, most prominently Facebook, store enormous databases of member personal information and preferences, collected from profiles and online behaviors.
In a superb article called “Twitter, Mobile Browsers and Metadata Privacy,” the author discusses in detail how a single tweet transfers highly personal data through a growing information ecosystem benefiting thousands of advertisers and marketers.
It’s Not Just Smartphone App Mobile Privacy
Congress, grand juries and other regulators may hold meetings with content providers like Pandora. However,]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0945Web Videos by TED.com Driving Digital Revolution - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/web-videos-by-ted-com-driving-digital-revolution/
Sun, 27 Mar 2011 06:07:57 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=5120<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>One of my favorite online video series is the stunning Web videos from TED.com. In case you’re unfamiliar with this extraordinary worldwide organization, TED invites visionary people to speak for 18 minutes in front of a live audience. The videos are shared across the Web through mobile apps, its online site and elsewhere. With over […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/web-videos-by-ted-com-driving-digital-revolution/">Web Videos by TED.com Driving Digital Revolution</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>One of my favorite online video series is the stunning Web videos from TED.com. In case you’re unfamiliar with this extraordinary worldwide organization, TED invites visionary people to speak for 18 minutes in front of a live audience.
One of my favorite online video series is the stunning Web videos from TED.com.
In case you’re unfamiliar with this extraordinary worldwide organization, TED invites visionary people to speak for 18 minutes in front of a live audience.
The videos are shared across the Web through mobile apps, its online site and elsewhere. With over 900 Web videos produced to date, the organization operates under a liberal copyright standard that encourages sharing its media content worldwide.
While not all TED talks are brilliant, many are and some are captivating masterpieces. Both well-known experts in their fields, as well as individuals who have accomplished remarkable feats, present daily talks, usually with stunning projected photos, graphics and videos.
Chris Anderson and Crowd Accelerated Innovation
Chris Anderson, who leads the team behind TED Talks and its conferences, spoke in July, 2010 about “crowd accelerated innovation,” an ecosystem of people who innovate, share inspirational light and help reduce the digital divide.
>

The “crowd” is you and me, someone in Kenja, a dreamer in the U.K., or a resident of Bangladesh where Chris Anderson once lived. The crowd is an electronic web of creative people whose talents encourage progress. And it’s only possible to share those talents due to YouTube, Vimeo, Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites.
Online Web Videos Drive Communication and Innovation
Cisco estimates that by 2013 90% of all Internet content will be videos, an unbelievable, radical shift in the digital revolution. But if you consider the 18 million Web videos seen by a global audience and mobile streaming videos, the numbers are astounding. Billions of eyes are glued to computer and mobile screens.
Enhanced Learning and a “Self-Fueling Cycle”
As the world reaches nine billion people, Chris Anderson speaks about millions of contributors who share their knowledge to improve learning. In the process, innovators are changing our planet into a “wiser, smarter, more beautiful place.”
And this more beautiful place impacts business, commerce, government and health care. As the digital revolution progresses, new technologies will emerge combining Web videos with other technologies. In ten years, the YouTubes, Vimeo’s and Netflix’s will morph into new media that don’t yet exist..
Along the way, TED and similar organizations, as they drive the digital revolution, inspire, enlighten and educate us. For that, we’re grateful.]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0946Video Streaming Services from MobiTV - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobitv-live-video-streaming-with-jay-hinman/
Thu, 10 Mar 2011 02:22:28 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=5065<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Jay Hinman talks about Video Streaming Services When I interviewed Tricia Higgins at MobiTV about its live video streaming services last year, the company had 10 million customers. That’s grown to over 15 million with no end in sight. Through its carrier partners–AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile–other broadband services like AT&T U-Verse and content producers, MobiTV […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobitv-live-video-streaming-with-jay-hinman/">Video Streaming Services from MobiTV</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Jay Hinman talks about Video Streaming Services When I interviewed Tricia Higgins at MobiTV about its live video streaming services last year, the company had 10 million customers. That’s grown to over 15 million with no end in sight.
When I interviewed Tricia Higgins at MobiTV about its live video streaming services last year, the company had 10 million customers. That’s grown to over 15 million with no end in sight.
Through its carrier partners–AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile–other broadband services like AT&T U-Verse and content producers, MobiTV meets consumers’ extraordinary demands for multimedia on smartphones, tablet computers and home TV’s. MobiNow is its iPad mobile app.
In our audio interview, Jay Hinman, former Senior Director of Marketing, now with Neumob, points out an interesting trend: as mobile device screen size increases, live video streaming demand rises.
He compares the “early years” when consumers watched two-inch mobile phone screen videos to today’s larger 4-5 inch smartphone displays.
Consumers are gobbling up video like hungry relatives at Thanksgiving dinner.
Will 4G Wireless Broadband Save Us?
While wireless carriers rapidly deploy 4G networks to handle the growing bandwidth demand, The Washington Post reports that Netflix, once known for its super-fast DVD shipping, has grown its customer base to 20 million from 12 million a year ago. Its video streaming services–primarily movies–consumes 1/5 of all U.S. bandwidth.
Then there’s Comcast, the largest cable company in the U.S. Through the Xfinity service, Comcast now streams video over tablet computers.
As old media (print) morphs into new media (digital), the Wall Street Journal and other print/online publications are releasing their own smartphone and tablet apps. With video streaming services on its home page, the Journal is increasing its appeal to newspaper readers who also want video.
End result? The carriers are struggling madly to offer 4G wireless while leveraging Wi-Fi which, according to the New York Times, also is in short supply.
MobiTV Grows Customer Base
Besides growing its customer base from 10 to 15 million in a year, MobiTV consumers have increased its minute usage by 59% with Android OS phones at the top. (The T-Mobile Samsung 4G S series is a good example.) iOS and BlackBerry usage is also way up.
When I asked Jay about competition from other companies, he commented that MobiTV has the advantage of early experience with mobile, giving it a leg-up while its competitors focus elsewhere. For example, the company’s competitive advantage with live video streaming, along with its media content partners, positions it well against a Netflix whose forte is streaming movies. The same is true of Amazon over the clean1:0347Mobile Phones Cooler than Tablet Computers - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/6-reasons-why-mobile-phones-are-cooler-than-tablet-computers/
Fri, 04 Mar 2011 23:27:58 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=5047<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Everyone’s talking about tablets. Will the iPad 2 gobble up 80% market share? Apple freaks tweet, post and talk like Steve Jobs: “The iPad is ‘magical, incredible.'” Android-based tablets, like the Samsung Tab, are growing as fast as rabbits in heat. But I think mobile phones are much cooler than tablet computers. Believe me I’m […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/6-reasons-why-mobile-phones-are-cooler-than-tablet-computers/">Mobile Phones Cooler than Tablet Computers</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Everyone’s talking about tablets. Will the iPad 2 gobble up 80% market share? Apple freaks tweet, post and talk like Steve Jobs: “The iPad is ‘magical, incredible.'” Android-based tablets, like the Samsung Tab, are growing as fast as rabbits in heat.
Android-based tablets, like the Samsung Tab, are growing as fast as rabbits in heat. But I think mobile phones are much cooler than tablet computers.
Believe me I’m all for tablets. I bought an iPad several months ago and use it daily. Connected to my home network, the iPad is a powerful media device for digital reading, email and entertainment.
But my 4G Sprint Epic is far more versatile. I can make and receive phone calls, text, handle email, check into Twitter and Facebook. It’s a super smartphone. I love it. But….

Mobile Phones vs. Tablet Computers

* Portability. My Epic fits in my pocket and is near me 24X7. There’s voice mail if I’m busy and can’t take a call. I have true push email on my Gmail and other POP accounts, courtesy of Google. Typing short docs is a breeze with the pull-out QWERTY keyboard or, if I’m feeling bold, I use SWYPE on the virtual pad. (See my blog post on portability and mobility. True, the iPad offers email and an easy-to-use keypad. But I can’t stick the iPad in my pocket and walk down the street. It makes me feel like a lawyer or bookkeeper. Plus no Web connection unless I stop by an Internet hotspot.
* Privacy. When I use my mobile phones at home or in public, it’s a private experience. No prying eyes. It’s just me and my phone. But the larger screens on tablet computers let anyone who’s five feet near the screen see the display. I want to keep my content private.
* Size. If I’m having lunch or need to take out my mobile in public, I can hold it in one hand, while talking with others. Try doing that with an 8 inch tablet.
* Cool Names. Hey, you’ve got to admit that mobile phones have cooler names than “ipad, “LePad,” “SmartPad” or “Playbook.” (Read my article on mobile phone names. Instead of “pad,” you’ll find “Razzle,” “Imagio,” “Barrage” and “Entice.” I want my mobile phones to make a social statement. So I can tell admirers “Well, I usually carry my ‘Razzle,’ when I’m not using my 4G ‘Epic.’On weekends, I party with my ‘Barrage.’ Isn’t that cool?”
* Light Weight. I like carrying slim mobile phones that don’t make me exercise my biceps every time I pick them up. Try doing that with 1.5+ pound tablet computers.
* No Big Ads. Advertisers are drooling over the larger screens on tablet computers. But I’ll stick with tiny text or banner ads on mobile phones.

There you have it. Six advantages of mobile phones over tablet computers. So the next time some dude tells you to buy his “magical” device, hold on to your wallet, chuckle and fondle that mobile in your pocket.]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0948Mobile Speech Making Texting Safer - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-speech-while-texting-increases-safety/
Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:44:13 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=5026<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>When you listen to the podcast interview intro and end about mobile speech, don’t think I’ve changed genders. It’s iSpeech’s voice technology (speech recognition and text-to-speech) introducing my interview with Yaron Oren, the company’s CMO. DriveSafe.ly is available for iPhone, Android, Windows and BlackBerry smartphones. Download the app online. The Apple version is also available […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-speech-while-texting-increases-safety/">Mobile Speech Making Texting Safer</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>When you listen to the podcast interview intro and end about mobile speech, don’t think I’ve changed genders. It’s iSpeech’s voice technology (speech recognition and text-to-speech) introducing my interview with Yaron Oren, the company’s CMO.
When you listen to the podcast interview intro and end about mobile speech, don’t think I’ve changed genders. It’s iSpeech’s voice technology (speech recognition and text-to-speech) introducing my interview with Yaron Oren, the company’s CMO.
DriveSafe.ly is available for iPhone, Android, Windows and BlackBerry smartphones. Download the app online. The Apple version is also available from manufacturing partners who embed iSpeech’s technology into vehicles.
As in Star Trek and other sci-fi shows, mobile computers (smartphones) and humans have waited for years to speak and listen to each other with natural speech. Now that mobile phone processors and software have improved, speaking with your mobile phone has finally arrived.
Mobile Speech Growing as Smartphones Become Common
iSpeech is leading the way with its natural-sounding digital speech output and high quality voice input. With over eight million customers and 400 million texts under its belt, this young company competes with Nuance and other established voice technology companies.
Having worked in the industry, I know it’s taken many years for speech synthesis to perform well on IVR systems at call centers. Text-to-speech has been less of a problem, although you might recall the days when systems sounded like a computer. Outsourcing a call center to enable mobile speech is often chosen to obtain best quality and the latest technology.
Mobile Speech Applications
26 states have banned mobile texting while driving. Clearly, it’s not safe, despite many drivers risking their lives and health by ignoring the law.
Voice applications, like iSpeech’s Drivesaf.ly, make it easy for drivers. One study, in fact, found that convenience was the main reason for texting on the road. Another study found that college students, in particular, text in the classroom and on the road. So having a tool like DriveSafe.ly to use decreases injuries from accidents.
A cloud computing application, mobile phone voice processing delivers human-like speech. (Try out the iSpeech demo as an example.)
For bloggers who want to create podcasts on-the-fly, the company also offers a text-to-speech product, although its computer-like sound didn’t impress me. Health care and other industries are prime candidates for iSpeech’s technology, especially as phone processing power increases.
iSpeech and Yaron Oren
Started in 2007, the company enables developers and businesses to build speech-enabled applications offering voice output and speech recognition. iSpeech is privately held and headquartered in Newark, NJ with offices in San Francisco and New York.
Yaron Oren, CMO, a veteran of the mobile and media industries, handles marketing, strategic direction and business development.. Before joining the company, he led a profitable mobile business for Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., part of Lagardare Active, the largest magazine publisher in the world.
Before Hachette, Yaron held several marketing and engineering roles, including most recently recently with Palm. He’s also worked with the executive mobile commit...]]>Brian Prowsclean2:1149India Mobile Apps Key to Profitability - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/india-mobile-apps-key-to-profitability/
Sat, 26 Feb 2011 01:49:55 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=5015<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>The Times of India today published a summary of an eye-opening study by Nokia about India mobile apps. In November, 2010, Nokia segmented the country geographically and asked 501 mobile consumers about India mobile apps preferences on their smartphones. Results show significant differences in various regions of the country. Here’s a summary of the India Mobile Apps study: 16% of the west India population likes financial […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/india-mobile-apps-key-to-profitability/">India Mobile Apps Key to Profitability</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>The Times of India today published a summary of an eye-opening study by Nokia about India mobile apps. In November, 2010, Nokia segmented the country geographically and asked 501 mobile consumers about India mobile apps preferences on their smartphone...India mobile apps.
In November, 2010, Nokia segmented the country geographically and asked 501 mobile consumers about

India mobile apps preferences on their smartphones.
Results show significant differences in various regions of the country. Here’s a summary of the India Mobile Apps study:

* 16% of the west India population likes financial apps, the highest of any

region
* 23% in the south of India prefer gaming apps
* 29%–nearly a third–in the Northeast download educational apps
* One third in the south of the country primarily use smartphone apps when commuting to work
* A whopping 40% of people in the North like India music apps, far greater than other regions in the India mobile apps prefernce study
* Social networking applications are most popular in the east (39%)
* One out of seven India mobile apps users have a smartphone
* 70% of smartphone owners get their apps from Value Added Services (VAS) portals. (Operator VAS portals are most popular.)
* Mobile utility apps are key to seller profitability. Yet, KPMG says India mobile utility apps, due to lack of awareness, haven’t yet become popular but will in the next few years
* By 2012, per Gartner, the most important India mobile apps will produce the highest ROI on $300+ devices. Top apps for 2012: Social networking, location-based services, search, commerce, payment, object recognition, content-aware services, instant messaging, e-mail and video

Mobile Apps Preferences in the U.S
As applications for mobile phones worldwide emerge, carriers, developers and online app stores compete for market share based on platform (mainly iOS and Android), performance, price and word-of-mouth (viral marketing). This strategy led to many hundreds of thousands of me-to applications, primarily for iPhone and Android devices. Sellers continue fighting for consumer mind share among a growing number of smartphone brands and compatible applications.
As Nokia discovered in the India mobile apps preference study, geographic differences do affect app desirability. But more culturally diverse consumers, especially in the U.S., will likely choose smartphone apps based on other factors: hobbies and interests, game sophistication, local commerce, sports and entertainment.
The power of mobile is locally-focused. While national brands have led the way to validate mobile as a marketing channel, proving the effectiveness of locally-based campaigns is the next step in mobile’s growth.]]>Brian Prowsclean3:2950Wireless Carrier Domination – Fair to Consumers? - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/wireless-carrier-domination-in-the-u-s-is-it-fair-to-consumers/
Fri, 28 Jan 2011 20:03:07 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=4951<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>T-Mobile is hurting financially. Consumers increasingly face wireless carrier domination. Is there enough wireless competition in the U.S.? Would having greater competition reduce mobile charges and increase services? Some thoughts… Betanews has an interesting article about T-Mobile USA, its wireless competitors and Deutsche Telekom, TM’s parent corporation in Germany. Did you know that T-Mobile has […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/wireless-carrier-domination-in-the-u-s-is-it-fair-to-consumers/">Wireless Carrier Domination – Fair to Consumers?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>AT&T acquiring T-Mobile update
Is there enough wireless competition in the U.S.? Would having greater competition reduce mobile charges and increase services? Some thoughts…Betanews has an interesting article about T-Mobile USA, its wireless competitors and Deutsche Telekom, TM’s parent corporation in Germany. Did you know that T-Mobile has more cellular towers than other wireless carriers? The company only generated a 10% profit last year, vs. 40% in previous years. And its churn rate–the number of yearly subscribers who cancel–is just below 2%? Most American retailers these days would drool over just 10% gross profit.
For certain, T-Mobile is not Apple, Inc. which just announced a 70% quarterly profit increase, but comparing TM with AP isn’t fair. TM is a wireless service company while Apple is a top technical manufacturer.
Wireless Carrier Domination Endangers Smaller Carriers
Deutsche Telekom believes leasing some of its towers will generate revenues as it continues losing customers who have jumped to AT&T for the iPhone. Some customers may also switch when Verizon Wireless releases the iphone in February.
Meantime, T-Mobile U.S.A.’s Philipp Humm, charged with turning the company around, plans to sell as many Android phones as donut stores sell chocolate eclairs. He recently proclaimed “‘It’s time to rethink the way we do business,'” one of those CEO proclamations that fade as quickly as Android phone batteries. Time will tell if the company’s HSPA+ “4G” network will keep customers on the network.
Too Few Carriers – Not Enough Competition
How would you like your town dominated by Costco, Target and only one grocery store (say Kroger)? And these were your only choices of food, clothing and bulk crates of your favorite whatever. And each store made you sign a two-year contract to buy $X per month of products? And the nearest town with a mall and more stores was 50 miles away?
Well, that’s the case with wireless carriers in most American cities. Where you shop is limited; you’re restricted to carrier-selected phones and you have to sign a two-year contract with a penalty should you cancel.
If the AT&T acquisition of T-Mobile goes through, regional carriers who depend on the few larger carriers might have to pay higher fees for customers who roam off their networks. This is a big concern in approving the AT&T/T-Mobile deal.
Wireless Carrier Break-Ups
I believe at some point the FCC and Congress will legislate a wireless carrier breakup just as they did with AT&T in 1974. And I bet that some of the new players will be Comcast, possibly Google, Facebook, smart grid operators and a consortium of smaller players such as Clearwire. Wireless carrier domination is clearly a major issue during the next decade.]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0951Facebook Privacy Compromised by Web Marketers - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/facebook-privacy-app-game-and-website-marketers-spy-on-you/
Tue, 25 Jan 2011 03:03:13 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=4955<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Have your checked your Facebook privacy page recently? Seen The Social Network movie? If so, you may become concerned about app, game and website marketers’ knowledge of your personal information. Facebook explains its privacy policies under “Controlling What You Share” Today I checked out my own privacy settings because I became concerned about the huge […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/facebook-privacy-app-game-and-website-marketers-spy-on-you/">Facebook Privacy Compromised by Web Marketers</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Have your checked your Facebook privacy page recently? Seen The Social Network movie? If so, you may become concerned about app, game and website marketers’ knowledge of your personal information. Facebook explains its privacy policies under “Controlli...The Social Network movie? If so, you may become concerned about app, game and website marketers’ knowledge of your personal information. Facebook explains its privacy policies under “Controlling What You Share” Today I checked out my own privacy settings because I became concerned about the huge number of Zynga game-related posts appearing on my profile page. If you click on “edit profile,” you won’t find the app, game and website settings. First, click on “Account,” then “Privacy Settings.” Once at your privacy page, select “Apps and Settings” and “Edit your Settings,” taking you to the “Apps, Games and Settings” privacy page.
Facebook Privacy Choices for Apps
Now…take a deep breath…your next Facebook privacy selections are:

* Apps You Use (only shows a few until you click on more). After clicking on “Edit Settings, FB lets you review and change some of each app’s privacy settings. They’re NINE; all are required except the last few to use the app.

Make sure to click on the x next to “Remove unwanted or spammy apps.” Surely, no one wants those. I noticed in looking at the 36 apps I use or have used (some haven’t been touched in six months or more) that apps found on multiple devices, like my iPad, are also listed. Therefore if you connect apps on your iPhone, iPad or other mobile device to your Facebook account, the privacy policies of each app (Slate, Pulse, Skyfire, etc.) get merged into your Facebook App permissions. In any case, you’re not only giving permission for marketers to access your information; you’re allowing your friends’ private information released for each application. And the two primary opt-out ones are usually authorizing data access anytime and accessing posts in newsfeeds. If you don’t remove the last one, the app provider can scan your wall posts for relevant keywords reflecting your pers...]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0952Mobile Advertising Effectiveness Research with Joy Liuzzo - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/joy-liuzzo-of-insightexpress-discusses-mobile-online-ad-effectiveness/
Wed, 12 Jan 2011 22:39:11 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=4940<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>In her third appearance on MobileBeyond , Joy, one of the most engaging experts in consumer mobile behavior and mobile advertising effectiveness research, talks about the growth of mobile Before getting into the stats, Joy updates listeners on her personal mobile inventory–iPad, MacBook Air, BlackBerry, iPhone, Android, etc. She claims she’s lowered the weight of her […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/joy-liuzzo-of-insightexpress-discusses-mobile-online-ad-effectiveness/">Mobile Advertising Effectiveness Research with Joy Liuzzo</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>In her third appearance on MobileBeyond , Joy, one of the most engaging experts in consumer mobile behavior and mobile advertising effectiveness research, talks about the growth of mobile Before getting into the stats,MobileBeyond , Joy, one of the most engaging experts in consumer mobile behavior and mobile advertising effectiveness research, talks about the growth of mobile
Before getting into the stats, Joy updates listeners on her personal mobile inventory–iPad, MacBook Air, BlackBerry, iPhone, Android, etc.
She claims she’s lowered the weight of her mobile gadgets from 17.6 pounds to under ten. (To make sure she maintains her mobile weight, MobileBeyond has arranged with the staff at InsightExpress to attach a wireless weight monitor, then report her daily wireless gadget weight to the media.)
In this audio interview, Joy reviews her latest 2009-2010 report (InsightExpress Mobile Norms; click to download the PDF). The short summary discusses performance changes in mobile, the “closest cousin to online.” Some of Joy’s other comments and predictions:
Mobile Advertising Effectiveness & Consumer Behavior Research

* Due to improved online advertising effectiveness, mobile was only 3-4 times as effective as online in 2009-2010 vs. 4-5 times in the past.
* Significant differences between mobile and online: Ad awareness (23%/8%), message association (14%/4%) and purchase intent (11%/3%).
* Mobile users are highly engaged with ads due to device type, screen size, quality of creative and other factors.
* Smartphone penetration is now around 33% in the U.S. and will likely grow to 50%, but the carriers’ increased selection of mobile phones is changing the definition of “smartphone” vs “feature phone.” Carriers are flooding the market with “smarter” phones which, to consumers, are just “phones.”

Listen as Joy gives us the latest on mobile advertising effectiveness.]]>Brian Prowsclean1:0253CityVille Scam or Harmless Game for 74 Million? - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/is-cityville-a-scam/
Fri, 07 Jan 2011 02:31:49 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=4932<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>CityVille a Scam? No, you’re not reading one of those affiliate marketing trick blog posts to get you to buy something. I’ve been playing Cityville and FarmVille for a few weeks. And, despite CityVille’s 25% higher ratings than FarmVille, I think that CityVille takes advantage of game players. If you love the game, you’ll hate […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/is-cityville-a-scam/">CityVille Scam or Harmless Game for 74 Million?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>CityVille a Scam? No, you’re not reading one of those affiliate marketing trick blog posts to get you to buy something. I’ve been playing Cityville and FarmVille for a few weeks. And, despite CityVille’s 25% higher ratings than FarmVille,
No, you’re not reading one of those affiliate marketing trick blog posts to get you to buy something.
I’ve been playing Cityville and FarmVille for a few weeks. And, despite CityVille’s 25% higher ratings than FarmVille, I think that CityVille takes advantage of game players. If you love the game, you’ll hate this off-the-cuff review
Reasons Why CityVille is Scammy

* Like Farmville, but worse, it uses up your Facebook pages with colorful pictures and words promoting Zynga, its manufacturer, to recruit new customers. It reminds me of CNET who, today, made me opt in to “like” their Facebook page before I could “listen” to the live blog of some important person giving a speech. Or, worse, like Amway or a multi-level scheme.
* CityVille’s pop-up ads keep reminding me to send gifts or, worse yet, send out public messages telling others who belong to my town–and even all my friends–how I just gave money to poor little children in town or became mayor or won 100 in change.
* Some programmer at Zynga must have worked for an oil company before realizing he could make more money with mobile games. It’s “energy” or, rather, lack of it. I earn so much energy each time I play. Invariably, just as I start collecting rent from a slum district I built, I run out of energy. Up pops another window telling me to ask my friends for more and, while I’m waiting, as if my friends have lots of energy, why not buy some with real money.
* How I use energy is interesting too. I LOSE energy every time I collect the rent or harvest a crop or do anything that’s good and noble about running a town. That’s after another popup window warns me about running out of food supplies for the local restaurants. I should GET energy when I harvest a crop. After all, it’s a lot easier to harvest than to plant.
* Like FarmVille, I can’t throw up buildings until I get enough residents in my town or reach level 20 or such. The Zynga folks get me started with a few cheap bungalows; then I’m on your own, recruiting, recruiting, recruiting my friends to move to “Brian’s Town.”
* Same’s true about setting up community buildings, like the local library, city hall and such. I’m encouraged to throw them up. Then I’ have to recruit more people to fill the offices: police captains, librarians and city hall clerks. (Back to Amway, I really think that Zynga hired them as a consultant.)

As you can see, I could go on and on about why Zynga’s CityVille is a scam. But I gotta get back to FarmVille and CityVille to take care of the withering crops and collect the rent.]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0954Comcast Brings Streaming Video to Tablet Computers - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/comcast-brings-streaming-video-to-tablet-computers/
Thu, 06 Jan 2011 21:59:52 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=4918<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Comcast just announced its new iPad and Android tablet service that brings live, on demand and recorded streaming video to tablet computers. The company, known for its “triple play” services (cable, VoIP and broadband Internet) will now connect to WiFi-enabled devices like the Apple iPad, Samsung Tab and other Android tablets. Meanwhile, Directv and other […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/comcast-brings-streaming-video-to-tablet-computers/">Comcast Brings Streaming Video to Tablet Computers</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Comcast just announced its new iPad and Android tablet service that brings live, on demand and recorded streaming video to tablet computers. The company, known for its “triple play” services (cable, VoIP and broadband Internet) will now connect to WiFi...
Comcast just announced its new iPad and Android tablet service that brings live, on demand and recorded streaming video to tablet computers.
The company, known for its “triple play” services (cable, VoIP and broadband Internet) will now connect to WiFi-enabled devices like the Apple iPad, Samsung Tab and other Android tablets. Meanwhile, Directv and other consumer media services fight for market share in a very competitive media market.
The new Comcast Xfinity tablet service, released shortly, will extend the capabilities of its IOS iPad App to live streaming, on-demand and DVR recorded movies, television shows and Web content. Customers choose how to view entertainment on their new media devices.
Need a recipe? Load a show on your iPad about cooking in the kitchen. Watch a Giant’s baseball game in the patio? Stream it live on your Samsung Pad. Have a natural history homework assignment? Watch Natural Geographic streaming video at your bedroom desk. Can’t watch an HBO movie right now on your flat panel wall TV in the living room; schedule it to record on your DVR.
Streaming Video Media Will Prosper for Three Reasons
Mobile Devices and Wireless Network Growth
Apple and other computer/mobile device technology manufacturers have released high-resolution tablet computers, smartphones and other video devices. Combined with high-speed broadband, wireless routers and 3G/4G wireless networks, “wired” media companies, like Comcast, AT&T and Verizon, now can offer live, on-demand and recorded video programming. Competitors for the home entertainment and business productivity markets emerge daily.
Consumers Want Streaming Media Mobility
Now that consumers and mobile business professionals have adopted smartphones, they’re demanding larger screens found in tablet computers for mobile news, entertainment and business applications. MobiTV and other mobile content companies have already found a market through the carriers for paid streaming video. Consumers are now demanding larger displays to enhance the viewing experience.
Video Media Content Rights
Video production and distribution companies want increased revenues through alternative media channels like tablets. Netflix, Amazon and dozens of streaming video distributors are aggressively promoting their services on personal computers, tablets and television sets. Distribution partners increasingly are determining product and pricing strategies of media content.
The future for streaming video on tablet computers and other emerging mobile devices is undeniable. What’s clear, however, is that content providers, working through distribution partners, hold the key to the future of streaming video.]]>Brian Prowsclean3:4555iPad Wall Street Journal App Revives Paper - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/ipad-wall-street-journal-app-the-future-of-digital-publishing/
Tue, 04 Jan 2011 23:51:07 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=4903<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>The timing couldn’t be better. My subscriptions to the print and online versions of the Wall Street Journal were up in January and I had already started viewing the WSJ on my new iPad. Today I tested the newer iPad Wall Street Journal App. A month earlier, I called the Journal about the upcoming renewals. […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/ipad-wall-street-journal-app-the-future-of-digital-publishing/">iPad Wall Street Journal App Revives Paper</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>The timing couldn’t be better. My subscriptions to the print and online versions of the Wall Street Journal were up in January and I had already started viewing the WSJ on my new iPad. Today I tested the newer iPad Wall Street Journal App.
The timing couldn’t be better. My subscriptions to the print and online versions of the Wall Street Journal were up in January and I had already started viewing the WSJ on my new iPad. Today I tested the newer iPad Wall Street Journal App.
A month earlier, I called the Journal about the upcoming renewals. Customer service told me the iPad subscription alone was $204 and print and online–my current set-up–was slightly less.
Today CS told me print and online jumped to over $300. So I cancelled my existing plan and signed up for the iPad Wall Street Journal App, which includes iPad mobile for iPhone and BlackBerry phones.
The Decline of Print Newspapers
For years, like other newspaper readers, I became concerned about the future of print journalism. Our Silicon Valley paper, the San Jose Mercury News, has gradually shrunk in size, leaving the sports section larger than the business pages. Media News, a publishing conglomerate, purchased most of parent corporation Knight-Ridder’s 32 papers, including the Mercury. Although the digital version of the paper has improved, I finally reached my frustration level. Since the paper’s news content was so meager, I cancelled.
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal continued growing in-depth and quality. Its recent series of articles on marketers and the ad industry tracking our online behavior convinced me of its reporting excellence.
iPad Wall Street Journal App
When the iPad arrived, my hope for digital print media rose. The “above the fold” Wall Street Journal–just $17.29 a month–resembles the print edition of the paper in landscape mode. With a quick right-to-left swipe of the finger, the screen quickly moves to the next page. Swiping your finger straight down returns you to page one, while pressing and holding the mast head causes a pop-up screen to appear, easily letting you select different sections of the paper.
There’s even a start screen for viewing the previous seven issues. Choose the “Now” choice for the latest news and information that updates the print edition, one of the biggest challenges facing the print industry. As soon as it hits the streets, the news is already dated.
Similar to Kindle and iPad books, readers may also save sections of the paper for later reading offline. The Europe and Asia editions are also available with one tap and readers may quickly email and select text size.
Print Quality Advertising
What distinguishes the Ipad Wall Street Journals’ display is the quality of the photos, graphics and ads. On the Kindle, photos and other graphics blur. On the iPhone and BlackBerry, due to the smaller screen size, banner ads are crisp but tiny. The iPad’s screen size and resolution improved both.
Advertisers and their agencies have waited for the “year of mobile” when the’d feel confident using mobile devices. With the iPad, they can now display full-color, high-resolution ads that are strikingly sharp, even beautiful .
Digital Navigation, Four Column Layout, Photo Enlargement and Videos
The “please turn to page 8” has always been a thorn in my side with print publications. In a computerized age, we’ve become used to point-and-click website navigation. The iPad Wall Street Journal App’s navigation easily and quickly moves to desired articles. On the front page, the “What’s News” index is now a vertical roll-up column so readers can scan,]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0956WiFi Wireless Internet Service Shortage Growing - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/wifi-wireless-internet-shortage/
Wed, 29 Dec 2010 21:11:44 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=4851<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p> The New York Times reported today that a WiFi Internet service shortage is growing at technical conference presentations. Shared WiFi signal strength dissipates quickly when presenters, reporters and guests compete simultaneously for the same wireless router signal strength. Wireless spectrum, routers and the Internet signals become overwhelmed by too many laptops, smartphones and other devices sucking wireless bandwidth. Steve […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/wifi-wireless-internet-shortage/">WiFi Wireless Internet Service Shortage Growing</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p> The New York Times reported today that a WiFi Internet service shortage is growing at technical conference presentations. Shared WiFi signal strength dissipates quickly when presenters, reporters and guests compete simultaneously for the same wireless...WiFi

Internet service shortage is growing at technical conference presentations.
Shared WiFi signal strength dissipates quickly when presenters, reporters and guests compete simultaneously for the same wireless router signal strength.
Wireless spectrum, routers and the Internet signals become overwhelmed by too many laptops, smartphones and other devices sucking wireless bandwidth.
Steve Jobs of Apple at a conference last year had to ask attendees to turn off their WiFi connections so he could demonstrate the iPad’s browser.
Then during 2010’s Web 2.0 Conference in San Francisco, too many attendees using an open WiFi network caused loss of Internet signal strength. Internet connections suddenly dropped leaving computer servers gasping for data.
Mobile Carriers and Internet Data Services
Recently, AT&T Mobility announced new WiFi hotspots for its customers in several populated areas of San Francisco and New York City to reduce an Internet service shortage due, in part, to iPhone data users.
On the same day Sprint/Clearwire turned on 4G WiMax, a type of WiFi with extended coverage, in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Wireless Data Demand Exceeds Supply
The major reason for WiFi Internet data shortages is similar to cellular wireless congestion. In large metropolitan areas during prime time, mobile customers, using smartphones and laptop modems, exceed available network capacity. This isn’t the case in smaller communities where demand is lower.
Unlike other electronic devices, today’s consumers and businesses expect mobile devices to operate flawlessly around the clock.
Yet few people use their desktop computers, television sets, audio systems, furnaces, air conditioners or cars 24 hours a day. When people flock to work, these and other devices are usually turned off or adjusted for minimal operation.
But mobile phones, tablets and other wireless devices, always connected to the Internet, are the first 24/7 gadgets that are indispensable to people in their work and personal lives. Mobile phones in particular stayed within nine feet of most users.
Cellular and WiFi Internet Service Shortage Solutions
Finding solutions to wireless Internet demand–both cellular and WiFi hotspots–will require a number of actions. Metering, charging heavy Internet users more for connectivity than light users, is one solution the carriers have already implemented.
Continuing to build higher capacity 3G and 4G wireless data networks is ongoing. Yet, demand for wireless Internet access continues expanding. As with electrical service during peak periods, blackouts and slower data network performance will always impact mobility in our age of wireless data.]]>Brian Prowsclean3:2757Farmville Glitches Hit My Pasture - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/busy-servers-at-farmville-are-we-running-out-of-processing-power/
Thu, 09 Dec 2010 17:44:02 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=4822<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p> Farmville Glitches Upset My Animals As I was playing Farmville this morning, I experienced Farmville glitches and crashes. The infamous Cow appeared on my Facebook screen with a message: “Oh no! It looks like all the bits got lost on the way to your computer. Please refresh your page.” While Zynga worked on its […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/busy-servers-at-farmville-are-we-running-out-of-processing-power/">Farmville Glitches Hit My Pasture</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p> Farmville Glitches Upset My Animals As I was playing Farmville this morning, I experienced Farmville glitches and crashes. The infamous Cow appeared on my Facebook screen with a message: “Oh no! It looks like all the bits got lost on the way to your...
Farmville Glitches Upset My Animals
As I was playing Farmville this morning, I experienced Farmville glitches and crashes. The infamous Cow appeared on my Facebook screen with a message: “Oh no! It looks like all the bits got lost on the way to your computer. Please refresh your page.”
While Zynga worked on its Farmville problems affecting its 26 million online players, I read email.
Then, yesterday, while buying a few things at Walgreen’s, I stood patiently waiting for my credit card company to approve a purchase. “Processing…processing…processing.”
After a minute, I turned to the check-out person and commented “Well, American Express must be busy today.” She quickly looked at her terminal, realized she hadn’t pressed one last button, fixed it and zippo AMEX approved my charge. This case was clearly pilot error, unlike the Farmville glitches and crashes. Yet, it reminded me that fast Internet connections don’t solve computer processing problems.
Computer Server Crashes Growing?
These incidents made me wonder: “Are will running out of processing power?” Google recently announced its Chrome OS cloud computing platform; the CTIA (the wireless association) and FCC keep screaming about wireless spectrum scarcity.
Cisco, HP and other server and router makers churn out new hardware like Santa Claus hustling for a quick Christmas Eve sleigh ride.Netflix is streaming videos like a broadband drug addict. Meanwhile, Comcast and other cable companies require bigger Internet pipes to deliver high definition television, VoIP telephone service and Internet connectivity.
Consumer’s Union recently announced that AT&T is the least respected wireless carrier due, in large part, to iPhone users sucking bandwidth. Wireless spectrum is clogged.
As computers, mobile phones and other Internet-dependent devices increase, expect more snafus like Farmville glitches and server crashes.
Everyone’s concentrating so much on “big pipes,” lack of wireless spectrum and Internet traffic. But what happens when lots of Web traffic hits the servers in datacenters? More Farmville server crashes?
I don’t want to sound like Chicken Little (“the skies falling, the skies falling,”) but I have a sneaking suspicion that half of all presents under the Christmas tree this year will be iPads, iPods, Android phones, electronic games and other gizmos–devices that consume lots of bandwidth and make computer servers suck air like a dying cardiac patient.
Well, that’s about it. I’ve gotta check out my Farmville plot. I think the wheat has withered. Dang, that cow’s still there.
P.S. Message on the Farmville.com site: “Hey Farmers! FarmVille is currently experiencing some loading issues. While we work on resolving these technical issues, we have disabled withering and puppy hunger! Thank you for your patience with us during this time.” (To think that farmers’ crops will wither and puppies will go hungry because of Farmville glitches …oh, well.)]]>Brian Prowsclean3:3858Will Cell Phones Replace Landline Telephones? - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/will-cell-phones-replace-landline-telephones-in-the-u-s/
Tue, 30 Nov 2010 20:48:32 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=4787<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p> What if everyone in the world woke up one morning and all land-line telephones had disappeared? What would happen to global communications if we only had cell phones to make calls? You’ve probably read in the press that land-lines are doomed. Wireless is hot. And 50% of those in the U.S. will have smartphones […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/will-cell-phones-replace-landline-telephones-in-the-u-s/">Will Cell Phones Replace Landline Telephones?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p> What if everyone in the world woke up one morning and all land-line telephones had disappeared? What would happen to global communications if we only had cell phones to make calls? You’ve probably read in the press that land-lines are doomed.
What if everyone in the world woke up one morning and all land-line telephones had disappeared? What would happen to global communications if we only had cell phones to make calls?
You’ve probably read in the press that land-lines are doomed. Wireless is hot. And 50% of those in the U.S. will have smartphones by 2015. While true that smartphone penetration is increasing rapidly, few researchers and the media claim that wireless phones will replace land-line telephones soon. (They’re 122 million land-line connections in the United States.)
Athan Papoulias, writing in a recent Technorati piece, believes that mobile marketers will benefit as people drop their traditional telephone service. Writing from Australia where mobile phone penetration has jumped past 100% (some people have more than one phone), he sees a wireless world where everyone cuts the telephone umbilical cord and embraces smartphones. (Oh, by the way, he runs a mobile marketing company.)
Wireless, Land-line and VoIP Growth
Papoulias writes:
“About 15% of mobile phone users no longer have a fixed-line telephone at home, says a survey of 18,000 people conducted by ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority). But why is this? Well it’s quite clear after Global Mobile hit the streets and spoke to a group of under-30-year-olds to find out the top three reasons.”
But Papoulias’ statement is unclear. First, 15% of all mobile phone users is not the same as 15% of all phone users. Second, he cites one survey, then jumps to another study, of under 30-year-olds, saying “Well, it’s quite clear…” Is it 15% of all phone users or 15% of those under 30 with cell phones? Regarding the 100% cell phone penetration, do 13-39 year-olds have more than one mobile phone, 40+ year-olds have a cell phone and a land-line? And 41-65 year-olds only have land-line telephones? He doesn’t say.
In a 2009 FCC Report, 58% of U.S households had both land-line telephones and wireless services, 25% wireless only and 15% wireline only. But the vast majority of the 25% wireless only household residents were 30 and under. While it’s clear that more Americans are “cutting the cord,” 122M American households had land-line telephones at the end of 2008.
As traditional services decline, VoIP, including Skype and Google Voice, is expanding in both the U.S., Australia and elsewhere in the world. In Australia, VoIP connections are increasing by 3% per month.
VoIP subscribers share many of the same benefits of traditional land-line service at greatly reduced costs for local, domestic and international calling. True, phones are connected to the Internet. So if your Internet connection fails, your call drops. But cable and fiber-optic Internet connections offer up-time of 95%+, similar to traditional land-line service.
Insufficient Wireless Spectrum
If all U.S. landlines (122 million) were ported to cellular, the carrier’s networks would collapse due to insufficient wireless spectrum. Until some bright person invents a new way to compress voice and data bandwidth on assigned cellular frequencies, it’s impossible to port all landlines.
So will cell phones replace land-line telephones in the U.S.? Unlikely and not very soon.]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0959Tech Gadget Obsession Reaches Addiction Levels - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/do-cool-tech-gadgets-lead-to-obsession/
Fri, 12 Nov 2010 20:33:26 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=4734<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Can’t put down your iPad or Samsung Smartphone? Tech gadget obsession may have turned users into zombie addicts. People who carry multiple cool tech gadgets over at Evernote in Silicon Valley are featured in today’s Wall Street Journal. At first I thought it was only smartphone addiction. But the obsession has spread to tablets, laptops, netbooks, […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/do-cool-tech-gadgets-lead-to-obsession/">Tech Gadget Obsession Reaches Addiction Levels</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Can’t put down your iPad or Samsung Smartphone? Tech gadget obsession may have turned users into zombie addicts. People who carry multiple cool tech gadgets over at Evernote in Silicon Valley are featured in today’s Wall Street Journal.
People who carry multiple cool tech gadgets over at Evernote in Silicon Valley are featured in today’s Wall Street Journal. At first I thought it was only smartphone addiction. But the obsession has spread to tablets, laptops, netbooks, iPods and all the peripheral gear: extra batteries, USB wireless modems, power cords, etc., etc.
The Evernote geeks justify lugging 25 pounds of tech gear with them based on feature preferences. They like owning the latest and greatest tech gadgets that heightens social status. But their addiction for electronic gear is clearly a sign of tech gadget obsession.
Albert M. Muniz, Jr., a professor of marketing at DePaul University in Chicago has studied devoted Apple geeks. He thinks they’re three major characteristics of iPad and Mac owners:

* Rituals and Traditions. Apple devotees were willing to stand in line or sleep overnight near an Apple store to buy an iPad, when they could have ordered it online. Standing side-by-side with a tribe or community, however, is most satisfying.
* Like Harley riders, many Apple customers feel a need to help others who share similar values expressed in the “I’m a Mac” television commercials.
* Exclusivity. Since Windows-based computers have always dominated the market over Macs, there’s a sense of “us vs. them” leading to devotion to the Apple brand, adding to tech gadget obsession.

In a recent CNN article about smartphone obsession, we learn about a 28 year old who, when waking up in the morning, immediately needs his phone to check Facebook and Twitter messages. Like many smartphone owners, he carries his phone in his hand rather than his pocket to make sure he doesn’t miss any photo opportunities.
Tech Gadget Obsession in the U.K.
And it’s not only U.S. consumers. In England, consumers spend NINE hours a day dealing with their tech gadget obsession–over five hours a day just on computers, nearly one hour with smartphones and 38 minutes playing video games.
Here’s how consumers in England spend their daily tech time:
Microwave – 10 minutes
Computer – 4 hours 5 minutes
Laptop – 1 hour 34 minutes
Smart phone – 56 minutes
Mobile phone – 38 minutes
MP3 player – 38 minutes
Sat Nav – 5 minutes
Television – 16 minutes
Sky Plus – 10 minutes
Computer games – 38 minutes
Clock radio – 1 minute
Washing machine – 8 minutes
TOTAL = 9 HOURS 19 MINUTES
Here’s what’s Hot

]]>Brian Prowsclean4:0560Smart Grid Broadband Challenges Internet Providers - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/smart-grid-broadband-services-challenge-internet-providers/
Thu, 11 Nov 2010 04:03:19 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=4727<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Wireless carriers and utility companies are sitting on a goldmine. Smart meters, which track and transmit residential and business electrical use wirelessly, will generate billions within a few years. European operators plan to expand revenues further by rolling out cloud computing, networking and other services for the auto, energy, health and media industries. In the […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/smart-grid-broadband-services-challenge-internet-providers/">Smart Grid Broadband Challenges Internet Providers</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Wireless carriers and utility companies are sitting on a goldmine. Smart meters, which track and transmit residential and business electrical use wirelessly, will generate billions within a few years. European operators plan to expand revenues further...Smart meters, which track and transmit residential and business electrical use wirelessly, will generate billions within a few years.
European operators plan to expand revenues further by rolling out cloud computing, networking and other services for the auto, energy, health and media industries.
In the U.S. the FCC and commercial interests are studying “smart grids” to better control energy usage and deliver faster broadband services.
Deutsche Telekom, the German telecommunications giant, recently announced its entry into smart meters. According to the Wall Street Journal, this market alone will grow from $219 million to $2.15 billion within Europe by 2015, helping European operators replace revenues lost to competitors.
Meanwhile, the company has partnered with other firms to install mobile applications for cars–everything from voice-controlled email and entertainment to remote control of sun roofs.
France Telecom has already moved into cloud computing and other communication services, while Telefonica SA in Spain has targeted telemedicine and mobile banking for financial service companies.
Smart Grid Broadband Services
Back in the U.S.A, Google is promoting its PowerMeter, using the smart grid, to provide real time energy and price information directly to personal computer users. This requires an always-on broadband connection, which the FCC is pushing as part of the National Recovery Act. In Chattanooga, Tennessee, over 100,000 residents will soon have access to one gigabyte broadband services.
Smart Grid technology is the driving force behind smart meters and new broadband services. Once the grid is installed to a building’s electrical system, broadband connections offering download speeds of 500Mbps on home area networks and LANS are enabled, delivering IP-based streaming multimedia over the Internet. This directly challenges current Internet and multimedia providers (land-based ISP’s, cable and satellite companies).
Utility companies, which are traditionally conservative, are now in the hot seat. The Federal government continues funding green technology development. Consumers want faster broadband services. Content producers seek higher quality Internet performance. IP-telephony companies are competing in home information and entertainment delivery. Meanwhile, cable, satellite and telephone companies are concerned about lost revenues.
For further information, check out this video and article about smart grids and broadband.]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0961Taking a Break from Digital Media for Your Sanity - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/taking-a-break-from-digital-media-for-your-sanity/
Mon, 18 Oct 2010 16:13:57 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=4633<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Digital media consumption is growing like uncontrolled weeds. Some love it. Others have a love/hate relationship with the constant urge to “go online.” Facebook, Twitter, emails, blogs, news and entertainment websites demand mind share. We time-shift to handle the load. We create lives of bits, bytes and electronic screens. Digital media mesmerizes our minds, scatters our […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/taking-a-break-from-digital-media-for-your-sanity/">Taking a Break from Digital Media for Your Sanity</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Digital media consumption is growing like uncontrolled weeds. Some love it. Others have a love/hate relationship with the constant urge to “go online.” Facebook, Twitter, emails, blogs, news and entertainment websites demand mind share.Digital media consumption is growing like uncontrolled weeds. Some love it. Others have a love/hate relationship with the constant urge to “go online.”
Facebook, Twitter, emails, blogs, news and entertainment websites demand mind share. We time-shift to handle the load. We create lives of bits, bytes and electronic screens.
Digital media mesmerizes our minds, scatters our thoughts and may affect our sanity. We enjoy it less as we consume more. One study from Australia claims that teens suffer from Internet depression due to overuse.
Facebook alone may have over one billion users by the end of 2011, especially if the great Internet Wall of China collapses allowing access to the social network site. The Japanese can’t stay away from Twitter. Email usage is up. Time spent consuming digital media on mobile devices has rocketed into the stratosphere. Is it any wonder many experience digital media over-consumption?
Consuming Less Digital Media
So how do you consume less and enjoy it more? How can you, your family and friends use electronic communication channels in business and during off-time without becoming overwhelmed? Here are suggestions from people who have successfully controlled digital media in their lives:

* Tell your friends and family you’re off-line for the weekend
* Don’t use your computer on the weekend. In fact, some suggest unplugging your home router unless necessary for work and entertainment purposes and devices, like your Roku Video player.
* Have a smartphone with Web access? Turn off email and your data connection.
* Avoid email intrusion. As I write this blog post, I hear email alerts on my Mac and my Android phone. Ignore them and stop trying to multi-task.
* When using digital media and devices, focus on one activity at a time. Use social networks for a limited time. And change your mobile phone’s retrieval setting to four hours or longer. You’ll write and respond to your friends’ communications better with a clear mind
* Keep human interactions separate from digital interactions. You’ll listen and enjoy human conversations more if you computer or phone isn’t competing.

Think you can do it? Yes, you can if you control technology in your life. Admittedly, it’s harder at work, especially if your job requires multi-tasking. However, multi-tasking doesn’t mean switching your attention every two minutes. Pace yourself like a long-distance runner.
Take a break from digital media…and remain sane.]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0862Social Networking Privacy Issues Raised in Facebook Movie - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/social-networking-privacy-issues-raised-in-facebook-movie/
Sat, 02 Oct 2010 08:03:34 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=4372<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>“The Social Network,” a fascinating, caustic movie about Mark Zuckerberg and his “friends” who launched Facebook, continues raising social networking privacy issues. When I first saw the movie, I watched several people in the theater playing with their phones. I wasn’t sure if they were viewing Facebook but I imagined it so. I had a […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/social-networking-privacy-issues-raised-in-facebook-movie/">Social Networking Privacy Issues Raised in Facebook Movie</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>“The Social Network,” a fascinating, caustic movie about Mark Zuckerberg and his “friends” who launched Facebook, continues raising social networking privacy issues. When I first saw the movie, I watched several people in the theater playing with their...The Social Network,” a fascinating, caustic movie about Mark Zuckerberg and his “friends” who launched Facebook, continues raising social networking privacy issues.
When I first saw the movie, I watched several people in the theater playing with their phones. I wasn’t sure if they were viewing Facebook but I imagined it so. I had a vision of new media mobiles connecting with friends, writing on Facebook walls, forwarding photos, sending pokes.
I saw mobile phone users surfing the Web in a traditional media venue (a theater), getting ready to watch a flick about social networking privacy. On the same day the film launched, Facebook had a 5-in-1 stock split and Zuckerberg donated $100M on Ophrah to the New Jersey school system. Very strange indeed.

Social Networking Privacy Issues Emerge in Movie
While watching “The Social Network,” I soon realized the absence of cell phones. Andrew Garfield, who plays Eduardo Saverin, Facebook’s’ first CFO and Co-founder, used a Sony Ericsson p910. Jesse Eisenberg, stuck in the role of Mark Zuckerberg, used flip phones–ancient mobile devices–circa 2003-2004. No smartphones. No apps. Web surfing at EDGE speeds. Everyone logging into the social site with personal computers vs. 50% worldwide today.
What’s most fascinating about the movie is not the socially-repressed Zuckerberg or the litigation to control Facebook. It’s how quickly students at Harvard, later Stanford, other universities, then the world became willing to reveal private information about their lives raising social networking privacy issues. At one point, Edwardo’s girlfriend becomes angry with him for not updating his “relationship status” on the site. He tells her he hadn’t changed his profile yet.
But it goes beyond privacy to obsession. In one scene Justin Timberlake, who plays Napster entrepreneur Sean Parker, is talking with his girlfriend when she blurts out her addiction to Facebook, saying she spends over six hours a day on the site. Six hours? Few, if any, devoted Richard Wagner fans would spend six hours in an opera house.
Somehow new media, such as social networking, has caused millions of people to share their innermost thoughts and secrets. Information that once was only shared with a few friends is now freely shared on the Internet.
If anything, the movie points out the hunger of people around the world to share personal information online. But all social media users should consider what and how they share information and the need to control social networking privacy.]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0863Smartphone Device or PNA, PEA or PTA? - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/smartphone-devices-should-be-called-pdas-peas-and-pnas/
Mon, 27 Sep 2010 23:39:40 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=4304<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Smartphone Device for $600? My new Sprint Samsung Epic 3G/4G Galaxy S smartphone device arrived yesterday. Couldn’t get around to activating the phone until 10 p.m. A hour later, my blogger’s eyes were as dry as the Sahari desert. Before hitting the sack, though, I quickly scanned Sprint’s “Get Started” booklet (not numbered), the “Basics Guide” […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/smartphone-devices-should-be-called-pdas-peas-and-pnas/">Smartphone Device or PNA, PEA or PTA?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Smartphone Device for $600? My new Sprint Samsung Epic 3G/4G Galaxy S smartphone device arrived yesterday. Couldn’t get around to activating the phone until 10 p.m. A hour later, my blogger’s eyes were as dry as the Sahari desert.
My new Sprint Samsung Epic 3G/4G Galaxy S smartphone device arrived yesterday. Couldn’t get around to activating the phone until 10 p.m.
A hour later, my blogger’s eyes were as dry as the Sahari desert. Before hitting the sack, though, I quickly scanned Sprint’s “Get Started” booklet (not numbered), the “Basics Guide” (195 pages) and the “Important Sprint Information” booklet (25 pages).
Smartphone “Device” Gotta Go
I noticed the word “device” printed everywhere. Before dozing off into unconsciousness, I thought to myself: “Device? I paid $400 for a smartphone on eBay. But I actually bought a humble “device.” I should have bought something cheaper at Home Depot. They have lots of “devices.”
Clearly, the promotional neurons weren’t firing when bright marketers at Samsung and Sprint nicknamed mobile phones smartphone device. Even naming sophisticated cell phones “mobile devices” wasn’t very creative. Can you imagine an ad agency rep for HP, Dell or Lenovo racing into a marketing meeting to announce a new computer “device?” I don’t think so. Such brilliance goes unrewarded.
“Getting Started” Manuals: Full of “Device”
This short, Apple-sized document starts out well. Its first page proclaims how Sprint is “…developing technologies that give you the ability to get what you want when you want it, faster than ever before.” I’m all for that. But on the opposite page at the top is “Your Device.” Honk… The page shows a colorful, expensive smartphone’s button locations and features.
Flip the page and you immediately see “Get Your Device Ready” beginning with inserting the battery. Yet the booklet doesn’t tell you how to remove the phone’s back plate. (Do you remember when cell phone manuals had a page telling you how to remove the phone’s backplate?) Years ago, it frequently required a mechanical engineer to to get the darn thing off. So much for your razzle-dazzle smartphone device.
Devices Belong in the Laboratory – Not in People’s Hands
Here are a few dictionary definitions from the dictionary:

* “…a thing made or adapted for a particular purpose, esp. a mechanical or electronic contrivance : a measuring device”
* “…an explosive contrivance; a bomb : an incendiary device”
* “…a plan, scheme, or trick with a particular aim : writing a public letter is a traditional device for signaling dissent”
* “…a turn of phrase intended to produce a particular effect in speech or a literary work: a rhetorical device”
* “…a drawing or design : the decorative device on the invitations

I don’t think any of the definitions fit a smartphone device.
PDA’s, PEA’s and PNA’s
In lieu of smartphone device, I propose that smartphone manufacturers refer to their products as PDA’s, PEA’s or PNA’s. That’s “D” for digital, “E” for entertainment and “N” for navigation. I know, you could go hog-wild with “PMA’s for music and “PSA’s” for social media, but those are subsets of entertainment.
If you’re over 30, you probably remember the days of “PDA’s” or personal digital assistants (still available, by the way). Made popular by Palm, now the laggard in the smartphone mar...]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0864Mobile Media Consumption and Diminishing Utility - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-smartphone-media-consumption-and-diminishing-marginal-utility/
Wed, 22 Sep 2010 23:51:22 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=4307<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p> Have you been feeling a bit overwhelmed recently with a feature-rich mobile smartphone? You’re not alone. As media consumption on mobile devices increases, you derive less pleasure. It’s an economics law called diminishing marginal utility. Basically, the law claims that people become more dissatisfied as they consume more of a product or service. Investopedia uses an “all […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-smartphone-media-consumption-and-diminishing-marginal-utility/">Mobile Media Consumption and Diminishing Utility</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p> Have you been feeling a bit overwhelmed recently with a feature-rich mobile smartphone? You’re not alone. As media consumption on mobile devices increases, you derive less pleasure. It’s an economics law called diminishing marginal utility.
Have you been feeling a bit overwhelmed recently with a feature-rich mobile smartphone? You’re not alone. As media consumption on mobile devices increases, you derive less pleasure. It’s an economics law called diminishing marginal utility.
Basically, the law claims that people become more dissatisfied as they consume more of a product or service. Investopedia uses an “all you can eat” buffet restaurant” as an example:
“… say you go to a buffet and the first plate of food you eat is very good. On a scale of ten you would give it a ten. Now your hunger has been somewhat tamed, but you get another full plate of food. Since you’re not as hungry, your enjoyment rates at a seven at best. Most people would stop before their utility drops even more, but say you go back to eat a third full plate of food and your utility drops even more to a three. If you kept eating, you would eventually reach a point at which your eating makes you sick, providing dissatisfaction, or ‘dis-utility.'”
The same is true of mobile smartphone media consumption.
Media Consumption Rises – Satisfaction Falls
As mobile smartphone owners gobble up more content, their perceived utility (or quality) of the content drops. While quality is partially based on mobile device type, media content quantity determines utility or satisfaction.
Surprised? Remember watching your first YouTube video on a mobile phone. You probably enjoyed it. Now think about the last few YouTube videos you’ve seen. Were you as satisfied? Probably not because you over-consumed. You came back for seconds and thirds like the buffet restaurant customers. That’s why in the early days of YouTube, it was easier for someone’s video to go viral. Now everyone’s expectations of quality has risen because we’ve over-consumed.
When the carriers began offering unlimited data plans, especially after release of the iPhone, few understood iPhone user behavior. Then AT&T realized that iPhone mobile smartphone customers were consuming 40% of total network bandwidth. iPhone folks became the third and fourth plate buffet restaurant customers, surfing the Web, watching YouTube videos and streaming Pandora Internet Radio.
Now that Android phone penetration exceeds the iPhone, all four major U.S. carriers are experiencing rapid increases in network usage, primarily due to consumer demand for streaming multimedia. In other words, the Android folks are also enjoying returning for seconds and thirds at the buffet restaurant. Diminishing marginal utility.
Mobile Smartphone App Growth Explodes
When mobile phones only offered basic software for making phone calls, texting and accessing WAP sites, data overhead and media consumption were very low. Now Mobile smartphone users launch apps–news and information, social networking, games and utilities–which use enormous amount...]]>Brian Prowsclean5:2765Will Affiliate Marketers Destroy Mobile Marketing? - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/will-affiliate-marketers-destroy-mobile-marketing/
Sun, 19 Sep 2010 01:24:43 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=4186<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Affiliate marketers are getting hot under the collar about mobile marketing profits. And I’m becoming concerned about Internet marketers affiliates moving into “mobile marketing without proper training. In many cases, those promoting courses and the “secrets” of the practice fall victim to lack of best practices and, sometimes, breaking the law. The CAN-SPAM Act of […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/will-affiliate-marketers-destroy-mobile-marketing/">Will Affiliate Marketers Destroy Mobile Marketing?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Affiliate marketers are getting hot under the collar about mobile marketing profits. And I’m becoming concerned about Internet marketers affiliates moving into “mobile marketing without proper training. In many cases,
In many cases, those promoting courses and the “secrets” of the practice fall victim to lack of best practices and, sometimes, breaking the law.
The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 forbids sending text messages to a cell phone without the owner’s permission. I wonder how many affiliate marketers ever heard of the legislation let alone understand the restrictions.
Some might argue that the carriers have too much control over SMS text marketing, short codes and other money-making opportunities. Recently, T-Mobile shut down a texting company whose client was sending messages about the legal use of marijuana in California.
Affiliate Marketers Big and Small
Large companies, like Google and Apple, have entered the mobile marketing and advertising industries. It’s no wonder that Internet marketers and their affiliates would jump at the potential profits.
“Mobile marketing” and “mobile advertising” e-Books abound on ClickBank, the home for many Internet and affiliate marketers. Here are a few of the enticing offers online:

* PostMobileAds – Make Money with Cell Phones and Mobile Marketing! The Mobile Marketing Industry is Revolutionizing the Way of Doing Business! Learn How to Promote Hundreds of Mobile Optimized Products on Cell Phone Banner Ads Reaching 5 Billion Users.
* Mobile Traffic Domination. Mobile Traffic Domination is a course on how to get floods of dirt cheap traffic, text message marketing, mobile with CPA offers. A 60% Commission on a $77 product attracts many sales candidates.
* Mobile Banner Creator – The Easiest Money Ever! Mobile Marketing Is The Hottest Trend In Internet Marketing & This Is A Tool All Mobile Marketers Need. Give Away Free Memberships & Earn Commissions On Multiple Upsells – Making Sales Couldn’t be Any Easier!
* Mobile Monopoly – The Biggest Opportunity For Affiliates Ever. Jump On The Hottest Untapped Marketing Trend! There Is No Other Product Like This! Super Fresh Content With Upsells, Downsells, Recurring Commissions, Phone And Email Customer Support And More!
* Mobile Applications that run Native for Any Model of Mobile, all with No Programming Needed! Learn how to make Apps for Any Wedding, Business, Groups, or Content. The Mobile Business is Huge! You can even make a Great Income Making, Selling Apps.
* The Only Mobile Spy Software at CB Market Place. A Hungry Crowd That Is Desperate For Help Makes You A Lot Of Easy Sales. Conversions From 1:15 – 1:40. Works with Most of the Smart Phones. Huge Affiliate Resources.
* Mobile Website Profits – Brand New Product! The First Product On Cb! Mobile Website Profits Is A Course On How To Make Money With Mobile, Make Money with CPA, Mobile Ads and Apps
* Make a Splash with Mobile Ads. Get your business seen by the millions of mobile users worldwide. Easy to set up, change any time. Every ad includes mobile web features such as Click-To-Call, Text-to-Email Messaging, and Link-To-URL.

Fueled by the exploding mobile industry and, particularly, Apple with its iPhone and iPad, the tidal wave of interest in mobile profits by affiliate marketers grows daily. If Apple,]]>Brian Prowsclean5:1466Small Business SMS Marketing with Linda Daichendt - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/sms-marketing-for-small-business-and-nonprofits-with-linda-daichendt/
Wed, 15 Sep 2010 23:03:12 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=4112<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Small business SMS marketing is alive and well in Michigan. Linda Daichendt is busy, very busy, but she loves every moment. As CEO and Managing Consultant of Michigan-based Strategic Growth Concepts, she helps companies and nonprofits develop small business SMS marketing and social media campaigns. A prolific blogger and mobile devotee, Linda founded Mobile Monday […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/sms-marketing-for-small-business-and-nonprofits-with-linda-daichendt/">Small Business SMS Marketing with Linda Daichendt</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Small business SMS marketing is alive and well in Michigan. Linda Daichendt is busy, very busy, but she loves every moment. As CEO and Managing Consultant of Michigan-based Strategic Growth Concepts, she helps companies and nonprofits develop small bus...Linda Daichendt is busy, very busy, but she loves every moment. As CEO and Managing Consultant of Michigan-based Strategic Growth Concepts, she helps companies and nonprofits develop small business SMS marketing and social media campaigns.
A prolific blogger and mobile devotee, Linda founded Mobile Monday in Michigan with the first local chapter in Ann Arbor, a haven for mobile app developers. (Mobile Monday is a worldwide community of visionaries and influential professionals pushing the envelope of mobile communications.)
In October, Linda launches another chapter in Detroit to engage marketers, carriers and other professionals convinced that mobile is the most powerful communication channel on Earth. (Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids are on her list.)
But Linda’s quest is more than mobile. She counsels her small business clients about the need to thoughtfully integrate small business SMS marketing with social media and traditional marketing channels. And she argues convincingly with start-ups and non-profits a small business can create text message marketing campaigns just as effectively as larger organizations.
But it takes planning. It requires setting goals and writing and executing business plans. Educating small business owners and nonprofit leaders about the profit potential of mobile marketing requires a lot of her time.
Small Business SMS Marketing Advocate
When Linda’s not sleeping, an activity that challenges her mobile mission, she’s thinking about mobile websites and organizing the “Mobile Technology Association of Michigan” to help facilitate growth in the state and create jobs. Coming on the heels of the auto industry debacle, it’s just possible–no, it IS possible–to re-create Michigan through mobile technology.
If anyone can pull it off, it’s Linda, who was a Director of Marketing for a national wireless retail chain. Her resume also includes experience in franchising, consumer products, commercial contracting, shopping center development, staffing, training, video entertainment and running non-profit organizations.
Mobile marketing services should be a piece of cake for a professional with over 20 years experience. Oh, she also has a Bachelor’s of Science and Management and does a mobile show on BlogTalkRadio too.
Need a mobile website designed and launched? Linda has connections with over dozens of companies across the country who can help small business owners look like Sears.com on the Web.
Nonprofits Benefit from SMS
In her conversation with me, Linda describes how the Red Cross raised five million dollars for the people of Haiti within 48 hours by convincing mobile phone users to text in $10 each. With a healthy dose of solid social media, the mobile campaign generated $30 million when finished. She believes similar mobile campaigns can be equally effective for local nonprofit marketing campaigns as well.
Consultant or Visionary?
If you need a small business SMS marketing professional who’s more than a consultant, who cares about her state and community, who dreams about social media marketing, who doesn’t leave the office at 5, Linda Daichendt is it.
Links:Linda’s LinkedIn ProfileBrian Prowsclean1:0267Sonic Music Alive at Smule – Ge Wang Podcast - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/iphone-sonic-music-technology-at-smule-with-ge-wang/
Sun, 22 Aug 2010 02:34:40 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=3829<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Sonic music is thriving at Stanford. Ge Wang, an assistant professor at Stanford University and CTO at Smule, lives and breathes sonic music. When I recently interviewed him about his first experiences playing the guitar as a teenager, how he loves music and the “human possibilities” of technology, he convinced me he’s not a composer who […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/iphone-sonic-music-technology-at-smule-with-ge-wang/">Sonic Music Alive at Smule – Ge Wang Podcast</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Sonic music is thriving at Stanford. Ge Wang, an assistant professor at Stanford University and CTO at Smule, lives and breathes sonic music. When I recently interviewed him about his first experiences playing the guitar as a teenager,Ge Wang, an assistant professor at Stanford University and CTO at Smule, lives and breathes sonic music.
When I recently interviewed him about his first experiences playing the guitar as a teenager, how he loves music and the “human possibilities” of technology, he convinced me he’s not a composer who embraces technology for its own sake.
Ge (pronounced Ga-eh) is a young guy with a computer science degree who loves creating and playing sonic music, likes the words “magic” and “magical,” especially when he refers to Apple’s iPad and sharing songs with others. Yet he believes both acoustic instruments and computers complement, not replace, each other. Sonic music is a means to an end.
Laptops & iPhones — the Latest Digital Instruments
That he chose laptops, iPhones and other devices to express himself isn’t important. As he says in our conversation, the old view of technology required learning about how things worked; the new way is “extending the human experience in the physical world by using technology.” He believes that technologies change quickly but people change more slowly.
In a musical sense, he says “…once you have a sound, you have it forever and make it interactive and expressive.” Sound is all about communicating things that nothing else can communicate.
The digital domain provides interactive ways to express sound and tunes in new ways. Whether in solo or collaborative mode, mobile devices are, to date, the most highly adopted digital devices, attracting a global audience of musical lovers who want to share their compositions.
Sonic Music and Mobile Phones
As Michael Becker mentioned in his MB podcast interview: “Mobile is the foundation of all communications going forward–whatever the mobile device, for personal use or commerce.” He speaks of the “untethered engagement” as the central focus of one-on-one relationship marketing with mobile phone consumers. Unlike earlier marketing, he denies the previous paradigm “if we build it, they will come.”
And so Wang at Princeton and later at Stanford, where he’s an Assistant Professor in the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics, combines computers,and smartphones–most especially the iPhone. He explores playing compositions in ways not yet discovered, “endlessly trying things to make music satisfying in itself.”
He’s the chief-architect and co-creator of the ChucK audio programming language, and the founding director of the Stanford Laptop and Mobile Phone Orchestras.
Computers Help Create Sonic Music
In a preface to his dissertation, he writes:
“The computer has long been considered an extremely attractive tool for creating, manipulating, and analyzing sound. Its precision, possibilities for new timbres, and potential for fantastical automation make it a compelling platform for expression and experimentation – but only to the extent that we are able to express to the computer what to do, and how to do it.
To this end, the programming language has perhaps served as the most general, and yet most precise and intimate interface between humans and computers.”
As you watch and hear him playing sonic music by blowing into an iPhone with his mouth, while fingering four circles on the phone’s touch screen, you feel he could just as easily have chosen a flute rather than Ocarina,]]>Brian Prowsclean1:0268Smartphone Mobile Security with John Hering of Lookout - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/smartphone-mobile-security-with-john-hering-of-lookout/
Thu, 19 Aug 2010 23:42:11 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=3799<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>You’ve just purchased a shiny new smartphone and start downloading mobile apps. You download cool apps. Smartphone mobile security is the last thing on your mind. Soon your phone’s screen fills with dozens of colorful icons–the best apps to use for FaceBook and Twitter, incredible mobile games, mapping, music, photos and more. You just can’t stop. But […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/smartphone-mobile-security-with-john-hering-of-lookout/">Smartphone Mobile Security with John Hering of Lookout</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>You’ve just purchased a shiny new smartphone and start downloading mobile apps. You download cool apps. Smartphone mobile security is the last thing on your mind. Soon your phone’s screen fills with dozens of colorful icons–the best apps to use for Fa...
Soon your phone’s screen fills with dozens of colorful icons–the best apps to use for FaceBook and Twitter, incredible mobile games, mapping, music, photos and more. You just can’t stop.
But hidden in the software code of some apps are Trojan horses, worms, viruses and other malicious malware. Your smartphone mobile security is compromised. Sweat breaks out on your forehead when you think you’re infected. Your heart beats faster. What do you do?
John Hering and Lookout to the Rescue
Ask John Hering, Co-Founder, and CEO of Lookout, a cloud-based smartphone security company in San Francisco. John lives and breathes wireless security.
Back in 2004-2005, when few people were thinking about worms and Trojan horses, John and his team thought about the day when mobile smartphone apps would infect mobile phones.
A few companies, such as F-Secure, identified a mobile Trojan called Skulls.D, a Symbian 60 flash attacker that, laughingly, put a skull on Nokia phone screens It crippled all features except making calls.
Smartphone Mobile Security Kills the Trojans
Like the Greeks hidden inside the horse thousands of years ago, Sophos Labs in 2006 found the first cell phone Trojan called the Redbrowser. That bugger turned a WAP-less mobile device into a money-making machine. Phones in Russia started automatically sending out premium rate SMS text messages costing phone users money. Many phone users didn’t even realize they were paying cyber criminals a salary.
Back in L.A., Hering and his USC friends did a less damaging study. They built a software script, using Bluetooth, to determine the security of phones at the Academy Awards. As the New York Times reported, over 100 attendees were carrying unsafe phones.
Robin Williams, the comedian, and actor had a Trojan in his pocket. But, according to John, he took it all in stride. Malware? Trojans? Must be bigger issues when you’re nominated for best actor of the year.
Android Smartphones Attacked in Russia
More recently, Russian cell phone users experienced a smartphone mobile security breach. A Trojan horse, the first one found inside the Android operating system, attacked Android smartphones. Kaspersky Labs identified it as a premium rate SMS attack and Lookout noted it in a blog post.
The story also made the New York Times. As John points out in our interview, attacks of this type on mobile phones can immediately cause financ...]]>Brian Prowsclean1:0269Smartphone Customer Expectations Rising - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/smartphone-consumer-expectations-driving-industry-crazy/
Sat, 14 Aug 2010 23:08:33 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=3772<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>I’m a smartphone customer just like you. This past week, I returned my T-Mobile Vibrant after testing it for a week. Beautiful display. Great voice quality and speakerphone. Lots of Android apps–more than I would ever use. Reasonable price with a two year contract. So why did I return it? As a mobile blogger who’s […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/smartphone-consumer-expectations-driving-industry-crazy/">Smartphone Customer Expectations Rising</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>I’m a smartphone customer just like you. This past week, I returned my T-Mobile Vibrant after testing it for a week. Beautiful display. Great voice quality and speakerphone. Lots of Android apps–more than I would ever use.
I’m a smartphone customer just like you. This past week, I returned my T-Mobile Vibrant after testing it for a week.
Beautiful display. Great voice quality and speakerphone. Lots of Android apps–more than I would ever use. Reasonable price with a two year contract.
So why did I return it? As a mobile blogger who’s written about and used mobile phones for a decade, why were my expectations not met?
Smartphone Customer Sophistication Increasing
In the case of the Samsung Vibrant, three factors caused me to return it Poor 3G reception inside my townhouse, fast battery drain and the inability to adjust movement sensitivity, causing applications to suddenly launch on their own. A fluke? After spending an hour last night reading T-Mobile Vibrant forum customers talking about similar experiences, I think not.
But I’m more concerned about rising smartphone customer expectations. The media, encouraged by the mobile industry, haven’t educated consumers about the limitations of always-on devices. Online publishers have convinced their readers that smartphones can do anything and everything.
With some exceptions, the media too have done a poor job informing consumers about the smartphone limitations. As a result, many consumers have unrealistic expectations.
Before mobile phones became “smart,” most cell owners were satisfied with clear voice calls, fast texting and and monthly bills. Phone users didn’t expect blazing 3G/4G web surfing, 1 Ghz processors, streaming video, social networking, GPS mapping, 8 megapixel digital cameras, high resolution screens, theater quality sound or mobile apps. Few of these sophisticated features were available until Apple released the iPhone in 2007. The “smartphone customer” didn’t exist.
Customers Embrace Smartphones
Times have changed. Consumers, whether buying their first smartphones or upgrading to better ones, demand more features and better performance.
This trend is especially notable among “mobile intensives,” coined by Joy Liuzzo at InsightExpress. Intensives are smartphone owners who use all or most of their device’s features. Whether iPhone, Android, Samsung or BlackBerry devotees, mobile intensives through social media are convincing their friends to upgrade.
Mobile Ecosystem Expands
In response to the growing demand for smartphones, handset manufacturers, carriers, application developers and the media feverishly develop, market and review new phones weekly. Marketers use social media
Advertisers and brands now believe that mobile is a viable medium. They’re testing strategies that drive high customer response within apps and and on mobile websites.
The competition is intense and bloody. Consumers want better quality smartphones with more features. Manufacturers fight for higher market share. Carriers and operators compete for higher consumer ARPU (average revenue per user) and low churn rates.
App developers fight for higher market share and profits. Publishers who cover the smartphone customer review the latest models. And Mobile buyers increasingly buy smartphones based on brand and quality.
That, in turn, will help all players in the mobile ecosystem to share the wealth in the global communications revolution.]]>Brian Prowsclean4:4470Wireless Monitoring of Mobile Phones Continues Growing Worldwide - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/wireless-monitoring-of-mobile-phones-growing-worldwide/
Sun, 08 Aug 2010 21:07:46 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=3756<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Wireless monitoring. It has an ominous ring to it. If you’ve been following the Blackberry mobile privacy battle between RIM, the United Arab Emirates, India and other nations, you might think wireless monitoring of mobile phones is limited to a few countries. Wireless Monitoring in Democratic Countries Unfortunately, it’s not. The United States, the U.K. […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/wireless-monitoring-of-mobile-phones-growing-worldwide/">Wireless Monitoring of Mobile Phones Continues Growing Worldwide</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Wireless monitoring. It has an ominous ring to it. If you’ve been following the Blackberry mobile privacy battle between RIM, the United Arab Emirates, India and other nations, you might think wireless monitoring of mobile phones is limited to a few co...
Wireless Monitoring in Democratic Countries
Unfortunately, it’s not. The United States, the U.K. and other democracies have been trying to intercept phone calls, emails, cell phone location and more for decades.
Interest by government telecommunications regulators breaks down into four types:

Cell Phone Wireless Monitoring and Security Threats
Harry Truman in 1952 created the NSA (National Security Agency) in the U.S. to protect our country from foreign security threats. In 1975, a Congressional investigation revealed that the NSA had been intercepting international communications, mainly requested by the CIA, without warrants for over 20 years.
Code-named “Shamrock,” the abuses uncovered by Congress led to new legislation to protect Americans with the passage of the American Foreign Surveillance Act or FISA. A lengthy USA Today article summarizes the chronology.
In September, 2001, the U.S. was attacked by terrorists destroying the World Trade Center, damaging a Pentagon building, downing multiple jet airliners and causing thousands of deaths. Later that year, Congress passed the USA Patriot Act giving broader powers to Federal and other agencies to intercept telephone, email and other personal records.
Verizon Wireless and Cingular (AT&T) Involvement
The New York Times reported in December, 2005 that three Federal judges had denied the right of law enforcement agencies to obtain location information and cell phone records without “probable cause,” the same standard required for search warrants. Verizon Wireless and Cingular (now AT&T Mobility) had regularly supplied this information when ordered by a court. Around this time, prosecutors also unsuccessfully argued that the USA Patriot Act permitted release of wireless information.
In 2007, the ACLU and Electronic Frontier Foundation filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Department of Justice. The groups claimed some government officials believed showing “probable cause” was unnecessary to obtain warrants for wireless monitoring of information when investigating crimes.
Mexico Releases Cell Phone National Registries
Starting around 2008, several countries either passed legislation requiring cell phone registration or launched national registries tying phones to their owners. Pre-paid cellular plans were mainly targeted due to assumed use by criminals to avoid identification.
Mexico passed fingerprint legislation in 2008 to combat increased kidnapping.]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0871Mobile Privacy Concerns Impact Government Wireless Security - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-privacy-and-the-loss-of-wireless-security/
Mon, 02 Aug 2010 17:31:55 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=3709<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>The United Arab Emirates has decided that BlackBerry smartphones are dangerous to national security. Other countries, like India, don’t like RIM’s email, instant messaging and web browsing security either. The core issue is clearly mobile privacy in a world where some governments feel threatened by wireless device security. Surprisingly, the U.A.E.’s announcement was announced a day […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-privacy-and-the-loss-of-wireless-security/">Mobile Privacy Concerns Impact Government Wireless Security</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>The United Arab Emirates has decided that BlackBerry smartphones are dangerous to national security. Other countries, like India, don’t like RIM’s email, instant messaging and web browsing security either. The core issue is clearly mobile privacy in a ...
The United Arab Emirates has decided that BlackBerry smartphones are dangerous to national security. Other countries, like India, don’t like RIM’s email, instant messaging and web browsing security either. The core issue is clearly mobile privacy in a world where some governments feel threatened by wireless device security.
Surprisingly, the U.A.E.’s announcement was announced a day after the Wall Street Journal started a series of articles on mobile browser computer Internet security. The Journal hired a consultant to study tracking cookies and “beacons” that monitor browser users’ activities on the Web, primarily for the benefit of advertisers.
RIM’s customer base of 46 million BlackBerry’s around the world relies upon the added encryption security built into the devices. Data sent from a BlackBerry is encrypted from handset to handset as mobile carriers pass billions of emails and instant messages to RIM’s global servers, making it difficult, if not impossible, for government and other eavesdroppers to capture secure phone transmissions. (This isn’t the case with other mobile phones, including those from Nokia and Apple.)
Mobile Privacy Concerns Rising
Mobile privacy and wireless security are becoming a controversial topic among phone users worldwide. During the past year, for example, Facebook was called on the table by numerous privacy watchdogs and U.S. government agencies for releasing members’ personal information. While Facebook has taken steps to improve its privacy and security practices, it’s challenging to protect the private information of 550 million users scattered across the globe. Mobile privacy concerns remain an issue on Facebook.
Here’s the irony of our over social networked, twittered, mobile apped and FourSquared age: While governments, credit bureaus, search engines, ad networks, marketing companies, potential employers and even mobile app developers attempt to collect private information about us, millions of people are freely releasing information online that could lead to identity theft, lost jobs and ruined reputations. It’s one thing to live in the United Arab Emirate countries without a BlackBerry. It’s another to lose control of how personal information is stored, controlled and released by social media companies or collected by smartphone mobile applications.
Health information is one example of mobile privacy concerns. When I call my medical group to book an appointment with my doctor, discuss billing information or my medications, the call center rep asks for my name, address, and date of birth.
Because of my blogging activities on the Internet, the first two are easy to get, only leaving my date of birth, requested by Facebook and most social networking sites. Do I give my correct date of birth online? No. Doing so increases the possibility of a security breach to my health information. (Credit bureaus ask similar information, including your mother’s maiden name, which should never be revealed online to anyone.)
Don’t get me wrong. Living in our mobile communications age is enjoyable and provides ways to make friends, develop business relationships and more. At the same time, however, governments, advertisers, social networking sites and others seek to invade our mobile privacy for political and monetary reasons.]]>Brian Prowsclean3:5772Mobile Streaming Video at MobiTV - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-streaming-video-at-mobitv/
Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:32:21 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=3698<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Phone users today demand high-quality mobile streaming video on their phones and other wireless devices. And MobiTV, a privately held technology company, is rising to the challenge. The Emeryville, California business now dominates the market with ten million subscribers. The company delivers mobile streaming video and audio with its content partners (NBC, MTV, ABC, FOX, […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-streaming-video-at-mobitv/">Mobile Streaming Video at MobiTV</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Phone users today demand high-quality mobile streaming video on their phones and other wireless devices. And MobiTV, a privately held technology company, is rising to the challenge. The Emeryville, California business now dominates the market with ten ...MobiTV, a privately held technology company, is rising to the challenge. The Emeryville, California business now dominates the market with ten million subscribers.
The company delivers mobile streaming video and audio with its content partners (NBC, MTV, ABC, FOX, ESPN) to all major U.S. carriers. Its technology enables live, video on demand (VOD) and stored multimedia on over 400 mobile phones, personal computers and tablets via cellular or Wi-Fi networks.
MobiTV Partnerships
Celebrating its tenth year in business, MobiTV with ESPN recently streamed over 100 million minutes of the World Cup soccer tournament . That’s equivalent to one viewer spending over 62,000 consecutive days in front of a TV. The event also generated one million downloads of its iPhone app and increased paid subscriptions by 200%. (Average viewing time is 31 minutes.)
Mobile Streaming Video – Tricia Higgins
Tricia Higgins, former VP of Strategic Partnerships at the company, talks about the company’s growth and mobile streaming video in her podcast interview. In particular, she points out the heightened engagement by Android users, who view 25% more minutes than other mobile phone consumers. MobiTV’s recent support of the Sprint HTC EVO, Motorola Backflip, and T-Mobile’s Samsung Vibrant helps attract Android phone users to its service.
During the interview, Tricia discusses the future of mobile streaming video and MobiTV. She believes that cloud computing will expand rapidly, permitting consumers to access media across devices. 4G wireless networks will also improve the user experience with its higher bandwidth and improved video and sound quality.
An Associated Press story, released today, describes how mobile video streaming on smartphones with larger screens competes with traditional television viewing:
Instead of gathering to turn our faces to the blue glow of the living-room set, maybe we’ll curl up, each in our own little world, with a phone or tablet in our lap. They don’t look as good as HDTV’s, but we won’t have to fight over remotes anymore. An iPhone held 7.5 inches from my eye looks just as big as a 46-inch TV, 10 feet away.”
While Tricia agrees to some extent, she points out the social aspect when watching television with others. Mobile convergence, however, is changing how individuals consume media. They may download content to one device, then view it on another where they left off. It’s similar to reading an e-book on a Kindle, pausing, then continuing to read on an iPad.
The company is a strong believer in communicating with customers. Its Facebook group site, Twitter page and company blog engage users in the company and offer news about the service. The customer care team at the company also uses social media to resolve customer issues.
Learn more about the dynamic world of mobile streaming video by listening to the podcast.]]>Brian Prowsclean1:0373Mobile Payments Growing in Africa, India and the U.S. - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-payments-growing-in-africa-india-and-the-u-s/
Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:45:46 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=3685<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>In 2002, Carol Realini, who retired from the corporate world, didn’t know mobile payments would be her next business. While visiting an African village on a philanthropic mission. She sauntered into a mobile phone store where Africans were re-loading minutes on their cell phone SIM cards. That visit to the Congo, a dangerous area of […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-payments-growing-in-africa-india-and-the-u-s/">Mobile Payments Growing in Africa, India and the U.S.</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>In 2002, Carol Realini, who retired from the corporate world, didn’t know mobile payments would be her next business. While visiting an African village on a philanthropic mission. She sauntered into a mobile phone store where Africans were re-loading m...
While visiting an African village on a philanthropic mission. She sauntered into a mobile phone store where Africans were re-loading minutes on their cell phone SIM cards.
That visit to the Congo, a dangerous area of Africa, energized her entrepreneurial neurons. She’d create a mobile payments business for the unbanked of the world.
While watching, she immediately noticed both a problem (no bank accounts or credit cards) and a solution (mobile payments) that would eventually change how people without banking services pay bills.
On the largest continent, people could use their phones to send money to others. (Download “Mobile Money for the Unbanked,” released by GSMA and funded, in part, by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.)
Mobile Payments Carol Realini Podcast
In my podcast interview with Carol, she tells her story of discovery–another time in her life when the she immediately realized the potential of the “mobile phone changing everything.” Those mobile stores could become “virtual banks” by loading currency on devices people carry with them everywhere. For Carol, it was “too big of an opportunity” and she left the store with a vision about a “whole new realm of financial services” available to millions of Africans.
Her mission became creating mobile money. Like Herman Heunis of MXit in South Africa, Carol’s plan was disruptive. What she proposed to do would forever change how people exchange money in India, Africa and the United States.
Coming “out of retirement,” Carol studied the market potential and concluded that, despite the technological hurdles, she could turn her dream into reality. Obopay Obopay. Working with partners like Nokia, Mastercard, Citibank, AT&T, Verizon, Rim and others, Obopay crafted a solution first for working families in the U.S. who found it convenient to send mobile money to kids and teenagers not carrying plastic.
The eight million small businesses–plumbers, hairdressers and others who needed an alternative way to receive money–became Obopay’s second target market. The advantages for small business owners–faster payments and reduced credit card transaction fees–were easily communicated. U.S. Banks, which had been studying how to increase consumer engagement with mobile, were equally intrigued. They’re multiple ways to sign up for Obopay service. For iPhone owners the Obopay app is available through the Apple App Store. Other mobile users can sign up on the Obopay website or find a branded solution through their banks.
Next came India, a vast country of 600 million mobile users where the c...]]>Brian Prowsclean1:0374Patent Infringement Lawsuit by Thomas Edison Estate Hits Apple - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/patent-infringement-lawsuit-by-thomas-edison-estate-hits-apple/
Mon, 28 Jun 2010 04:35:12 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=3511<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>News Release June 27, 2012 Edison, New Jersey For Immediate Release Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against Apple The estate of Thomas Alva Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, phonograph, motion picture camera and numerous other devices found in today’s mobile phones today announced a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple. According to Clarice E. Edison, the […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/patent-infringement-lawsuit-by-thomas-edison-estate-hits-apple/">Patent Infringement Lawsuit by Thomas Edison Estate Hits Apple</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>News Release June 27, 2012 Edison, New Jersey For Immediate Release Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against Apple The estate of Thomas Alva Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, phonograph, motion picture camera and numerous other devices found in today’...
June 27, 2012

Edison, New Jersey

For Immediate Release
Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against Apple
The estate of Thomas Alva Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, phonograph, motion picture camera and numerous other devices found in today’s mobile phones today announced a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple.
According to Clarice E. Edison, the great, great, great grand daughter of Thomas Edison, the iPhone incorporates many of the inventor’s 1000+ patents developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In particular, she said in a short press conference yesterday that electrical luminescent filament technology that back-lights the smartphone’s screen was lifted from the light bulb.
The last living relative of the creative man also touched upon his carbon microphone, claiming that the iPhone’s mic used the earlier version as a prototype and works in a similar fashion to the Edison device.
“In other words,” Ms. Edison said, “you speak into it and the vibrations from the human voice are converted into electrical signals that are transmitted. Apple clearly stole the idea which millions of iPhone users employ to make phone calls…Without doubt, that’s a patent infringement.”
Other alleged patent infringements by the Cupertino, California company include:

* Phonograph. Apple’s iPod product line, despite not having the “look and feel” of the original invention, borrows “creative elements and thoughts” behind the prolific genius’ work. MP3 players are “derivatives” of the original phonograph that became turntables, then MP3 players, then iPods, then the iPod Touch.
* Motion Picture Camera. While most mobile phone manufacturers today include camera phones in their devices, she said, Apple borrowed early analog elements of the motion picture camera, including the Kinetophone, that resembles what one sees when looking into an iPhone lens. Similar to Kodak’s case against Apple and RIM for digital imaging, “…the organization believes Steve Jobs willfully and deliberately lifted key video component ideas that were used in the phone.”

Patent Infringment Lawsuit Now?
When questioned by the press why her group, after decades of silence, is now suing Apple for patent infringement, Ms. Edison said: “Well, we noticed in the press that most consumer electronics companies, especially the ...]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0875Cell Phone Reception Challenges Wireless Carriers - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/wireless-carriers-cope-with-smartphone-reception-problems/
Thu, 24 Jun 2010 22:25:00 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=3477<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Wireless carriers, as they build-out their 3G and 4G broadband networks continue to struggle with ensuring strong cell phone reception for voice and data. And it’s not only iPhone and other smartphone owners who are suffering. Five major factors account for poor cell phone reception. Handset antenna placement mainly inside a mobile phone and anything–the handgrip, […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/wireless-carriers-cope-with-smartphone-reception-problems/">Cell Phone Reception Challenges Wireless Carriers</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Wireless carriers, as they build-out their 3G and 4G broadband networks continue to struggle with ensuring strong cell phone reception for voice and data. And it’s not only iPhone and other smartphone owners who are suffering.
Five major factors account for poor cell phone reception.

* Handset antenna placement mainly inside a mobile phone and anything–the handgrip, for example. Most Nokia, Sony Ericsson and other handset manufacturers instruct users how to hold phones for best reception.
* Cell phone reception inside buildings. As Scott Goodrich of CSI pointed out in his podcast interview with me, 80% of all mobile phone usage today is inside buildings where reception is poor. This was not as serious a problem five years ago when most “mobile” phone owners made calls and accessed the mobile Internet outdoors. The solution to the “indoor” use problem is not only antenna boosters but using Wi-Fi when cellular signals are weak.
* Lack of wireless spectrum and channels. Although the carriers are improving their 3G/4G wireless networks quickly, mobile data demand continues growing faster than carriers can handle. This is especially the case with AT&T, the sole iPhone carrier. If half of all iPhone users were on other U.S. carriers’ networks, AT&T network congestion would significantly drop improving reception
* Smartphone penetration continues growing. 20% of all U.S. cell phone owners now use a smartphone. Within two years the figure will rise to 50%. Since smartphone owners on average download and upload 3-5 times as much data on the mobile Internet as feature phone users, network congestion will remain an issue. Companies like Clearwire claim their network bandwidth is plentiful with typical customer usage of 4 to 7 gigs per month.
* M2M and other wireless devices and applications. By the end of 2010 5 billion wireless devices (tablets, e-readers, laptops and embedded devices) will access the Internet through cellular or Wi-Fi. That’s in addition to 5 billion mobile phones. Although many M2M devices are low-bandwidth, demands on 3G and 4G networks will continue growing.

Improving cell phone reception both inside and outside buildings and other structures requires cooperation among handset manufacturers, carriers and users as technology improves signal strength for voice and data communications.]]>Brian Prowsclean21:4676Mobile Broadband and the Myth of Wireless Carrier Speed - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-broadband-wireless-carrier-speed/
Mon, 21 Jun 2010 02:03:06 +0000https://www.mobilebeyond.net/?p=9137<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Walt Mossberg wrote a techy article about mobile broadband and T-Mobile’s stellar wireless network. Then he got into his “I’ve been testing” mood. Walt’s a great guy but too often gets caught up in his mobile role with the Journal. In any case I responded with my usual ten paragraph comments about why the wireless […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-broadband-wireless-carrier-speed/">Mobile Broadband and the Myth of Wireless Carrier Speed</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Walt Mossberg wrote a techy article about mobile broadband and T-Mobile’s stellar wireless network. Then he got into his “I’ve been testing” mood. Walt’s a great guy but too often gets caught up in his mobile role with the Journal.
Walt Mossberg wrote a techy article about mobile broadband and T-Mobile’s stellar wireless network. Then he got into his “I’ve been testing” mood. Walt’s a great guy but too often gets caught up in his mobile role with the Journal.
In any case I responded with my usual ten paragraph comments about why the wireless carriers are pulling the wool over our eyes and the five reasons why you’ll never get download speeds of 20Mbps on your $600 superphone.
Despite T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network and the continuous argument about WiMax vs. LTE, EVDO-Rev. 10 and all the carrier hype about downloading HD movies to your TV using your smartphone, there’s a lot of bunk banter.
Mobile Broadband Truths and Myths
Do you want the truth? Mobile broadband is only a hot issue because U.S. carriers finally realized the rest of the world (South Korea, included) has had faster wireless networks for years. We folks in the U.S. have put up with turtle-speed wired and wireless broadband while rolling over buckets of voice minutes that no one uses anymore.
To catch up, carriers are doing marketing cartwheels to convince you they have the speediest mobile broadband network since the Ostrich, which Blurtit says can run up to 40 miles an hour–faster than the Emu and the Road Runner. Now if U.S. wireless carriers could do that in Mbps (megabits per second), you could download all of President Obama’s press conferences in two seconds.
But back to the issue at hand: mobile broadband. Here’s why your Droid, iPhone, EVO or Incredible will never–that’s “never”–download at carrier-claimed speeds:
Like wired broadband from your cable or DSL provider, mobile broadband download speeds vary from second-to-second based on:

* Your distance to a cell tower. The greater the distance, the lower the signal strength; the lower the signal strength, the slower the data speed–up or down. Get too far from a cell tower and you can’t even make a phone call. But, of course, iPhone users already know that.
* The network you’re running on. Have a 3G/4G phone? Think again. Like wired broadband, your download and upload speeds are based on the weakest link from point A to point B. Try doing a speed test with your computer. Just tested my Comcast 12Mbps line on my MacBook Pro (6Mbps down; 3.5Mbps up). So you may have 10 bars showing on your shiny new smartphone with a big 3G,. But that’s your network connection to the nearest cell tower. Then your carrier back-hauls your YouTube video request using high-speed lines connecting to the wired Internet, then routes your request to the nearest Google/YouTube server, then makes the video request,]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0877Mobile Phone Data Plans: Charge More or Less? - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-phone-data-plans-the-case-for-charging-more-or-less/
Sat, 19 Jun 2010 01:02:17 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=3432<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Recently carriers have argued for staggered mobile phone data plans. Carriers say that smartphone users, who consume large amounts of data, should pay more and typical mobile phone users should pay less. In other words, mobile carriers should base their cell phone data charges like utility companies. While this sounds reasonable to the carriers, many […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-phone-data-plans-the-case-for-charging-more-or-less/">Mobile Phone Data Plans: Charge More or Less?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Recently carriers have argued for staggered mobile phone data plans. Carriers say that smartphone users, who consume large amounts of data, should pay more and typical mobile phone users should pay less. In other words,
Recently carriers have argued for staggered mobile phone data plans. Carriers say that smartphone users, who consume large amounts of data, should pay more and typical mobile phone users should pay less.
In other words, mobile carriers should base their cell phone data charges like utility companies. While this sounds reasonable to the carriers, many consumer watchdog groups and mobile users think that charging more is unfair.
The Case for Charging More for Mobile Phone Data Plans

* Always-on Connection. Unlike other consumer electronics devices or utility services, smartphone owners are connected to the mobile Internet via cellular 24/7 unless they turn off their phones. While that’s also true of computers tethered to the Internet with bigger pipes, most people don’t use their computers around the clock.
* More expensive to deliver. Unlike Africa, India, and other developing nations, fixed broadband Internet is already in place. Cable and DSL operators have invested in fiber optic cable, but the cost per megabyte is considerably lower than cellular carriers that continue spending millions on cell phone towers, antenna boosters, and other RF equipment.
* Increased speeds create greater usage. As wireless carriers roll out faster 3G and 4G networks, handset manufacturers will release more data-intensive devices that demand greater bandwidth from carrier networks. This increases carrier costs.
* Scarcity. The demand for mobile data will always surpass the availability of the carriers to deliver it. By early 2011, five BILLION mobile phones were active on the planet and another five BILLION wireless devices (machine-to-machine, e-readers, GPS, tablet computers) had cellular connections creating bandwidth scarcity.
* Equity. It’s only fair that those who consume more wireless data pay higher fees than those who consume less. The analogy is similar to utility customers who use more electricity, gas and water.

The Case for Charging Less for Mobile Phone Data Plans
Mobile phone data plans should be simple to understand. Carrier’s will benefit from additional revenues and economies of scale.

* Many smartphone customers today are using Wi-Fi connections reducing the load on carrier’s cellular networks.
* Simplicity and Smartphone Growth. Although iPhone users consume five times as much data as BlackBerry users, mobile phone plans should be kept simple and encourage smartphone growth. Carriers will benefit from additional revenues as well.
* Phone Call Traffic Down. Mobile phone owners, in general, are using fewer voice minutes as they migrate to smartphones. Data plans should reflect carrier savings on lower voice call costs.
* Economies of Scale. By the end of 2010 50% of mobile users in the U.S. will own smartphones. The carriers will eventually achieve better network performance as they generate higher data revenues from their customers. Carriers should lower data charges as they scale up.
* Off-Peak Usage Discounts.]]>Brian Prowsclean7:3778Cell Phone Plans by Verizon Wireless, Carriers Confuse Consumers - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/cell-phone-plans-will-us-carriers-ever-get-it/
Thu, 17 Jun 2010 16:15:44 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=2177<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Cell phone plans were first introduced in the 1980’s. Mobile carriers believed that customers should pay based on minutes used. As cell phones became more prevalent in the United States, mobile carriers created confusing “buckets of minutes,” expensive over minute charges, activation fees, overpriced text message and data billing plus two-year lock-in contracts. Carriers believed that […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/cell-phone-plans-will-us-carriers-ever-get-it/">Cell Phone Plans by Verizon Wireless, Carriers Confuse Consumers</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Cell phone plans were first introduced in the 1980’s. Mobile carriers believed that customers should pay based on minutes used. As cell phones became more prevalent in the United States, mobile carriers created confusing “buckets of minutes,
Eventually consumers began filing complaints with the FCC and consumer protection organizations. Meanwhile J.D. Power, the leading rating organization revealed in studies that consumers were dissatisfied with the carriers” pricing and poor customer service.
Carrier Cell Phone Plans vs Skype and Google Voice

In an age of smartphones, used increasingly for data and voice led to VoIP services offered by Skype and Google Voice, Consumers believed that they were paying to much for their cellular service. After all, if Skype and Google could offer much lower prices for voice, texting and eventually two-way video calls, why were the carriers charging so much?
Increased competition and the current Administration’s emphasis on high speed broadband for Internet access would soon change the wireless landscape.
Morgan and Stanley Mobile Internet Report
Morgan and Stanley claimed in its December, 2009 report that mobile phones were increasingly about data–not voice–especially among smartphone users. Yet cell phone plans for consumers and businesses kept rising.
After AT&T Wireless in 2007 gained millions of new customers due to its iPhone deal with Apple, other carriers and handset manufacturers began offering comparable data devices to increase profits in data rather than voice.
Data-intensive mobile phones led the carriers to change their cell phone plans, tacking on $30-$50 a month for wireless Internet, texting, email and other data services. Instead of paying $40-$70 a month for voice and texting, consumers watched their cell phone plans rise to $100 or more for individuals and shared plans.
Meanwhile, the ratio of voice calls to data usage continued dropping from 70% to only 45% for iPhone and other smartphone owners. But carriers were reluctant to lower their charges for voice calls until they experienced high customer churn.
Customers began demanding greater access to mobile data available on smartphones. The iPhone browser improved users’ mobile Internet experience while iPhone applications increased demand for information and entertainment.
Soon, other carriers, handset manufacturers and application developers entered the market offering improved device performance with Android, Windows and other mobile handsets.
The Market Challenges Mobile Carriers
Sprint/Nextel and T-Mobile were especially hit hard as millions of dissatisfied customers switched to AT&T for the iPhone and Verizon Wireless for its faster, more robust wireless network. Cell phone pricing was about to change.
In response to high churn rates among contract customers, Sprint became the price leader with its “Simply Everything” individual and shared cell phone plans. (Sprint offered the least confusing and costly cell phone plans of all major carriers.)
T-Mobile cell phone plans appeared straightforward, then increased in complexity with the add-on options: Internet, email, music, international service, accessories, insurance and more.
Verizon Wireless, on the other hand, decided complexity (pardon me,]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0879Mobile Phone Dictionary Helps Users Find Words - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/dictionary-com-helps-mobile-phone-users-find-words/
Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=3387<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>For anyone born before the online and mobile phone dictionary, the dictionary was a thick, heavy book kids lugged to school for reference. Adults kept a dictionary in a book shelf. The print was tiny, the pages thin and the definitions short. Now virtually everyone in the U.S. has a cell phone with access to […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/dictionary-com-helps-mobile-phone-users-find-words/">Mobile Phone Dictionary Helps Users Find Words</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>For anyone born before the online and mobile phone dictionary, the dictionary was a thick, heavy book kids lugged to school for reference. Adults kept a dictionary in a book shelf. The print was tiny, the pages thin and the definitions short.dictionary was a thick, heavy book kids lugged to school for reference. Adults kept a dictionary in a book shelf. The print was tiny, the pages thin and the definitions short.
Now virtually everyone in the U.S. has a cell phone with access to the mobile Web. Since services, like Dictionary.com, 1,500 page paper dictionaries gather dust in bookcases as people find words electronically on computers, the Internet and the mobile Web.
But you needn’t remind Shravan Goli, President of Dictionary.com, about the advantages of online and mobile dictionaries. Every month over 50 million unique digital visitors go to Dictionary.com, Thesaurus.com and Reference.com via the desktop Internet and mobile Web.
Mobile Phone Dictionary Increases Users’ Knowledge of Words
The free online reference software service provides reliable access to millions of word definitions, synonyms, spelling, audio pronunciations, example sentences, translations from its Web properties and iPhone, BlackBerry, Android and iPad apps.
An Internet and technology veteran, Shravan Goli manages the company’s overall business and strategy. Before joining the Oakland, California-based firm in 2009, Goli was General Manager at Slide, Inc., Operations GM for Yahoo Video and Head of Products for Yahoo Finance. Shravan also did a stint with Microsoft’s Home & Entertainment and its MSN divisions for eleven years as well as co-founding Corners, Inc., a social networking company.
Now Dictionary.com, part of the ASK Network in New York, dominates the online and mobile dictionary/thesaurus space, claiming it’s the most comprehensive, up-to-date, trusted and convenient source for words and knowledge. DC.com contains over one million words, while its Thesaurus offers 1.5 million alternative words.
When Apple released its iPad recently, Dictionary.com proudly claimed the top three reference app positions with over 100,000 downloads in the first week. What’s more interesting, though, is user adoption and engagement. The eleven million people who have downloaded the app so far (6.8 million by iPhone owners alone), spend two to three times searching for word definitions and synonyms than feature phone owners on the mobile Internet. (The company is planning an iAd campaign for the iPad.)
Dictionary.com, says Goli, has become so popular that many Twitter and Facebook followers refer to word look-ups as “Dictionary dot com’d it” similar to “Googling it.” That says a lot. When I checked a number of Twitter tweets, I found followers who wrote things like “gotta love dictionary.com; so brief. Love it.”
Before recording my podcast interview with Shravan today, I spent part of my weekend testing the apps and services on my BlackBerry Curve and HTC Hero. The claims are true. Not only are look-ups fast and comprehensive, Dictionary.com offers extensive synonyms to help users find just that “right” word. And the contemporary and literary quotes below the definitions are extremely useful to better understand word meaning.
Services such as Dictionary.com make me feel hopeful about the future of the English language. In our digital age of misspelled and incorrect words, having a quality, reliable source of word definitions and grammar should help improve literacy.
For the future, Shravan’s company is planning to port its online crossword puzzles and translation service to mobile while opening its API and databases to its partners. If the end result is only half as good as the present Dictionary.com,]]>Brian Prowsclean1:0380Does the Mobile Internet Change Your Brain? - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/will-the-mobile-internet-change-your-brain/
Sat, 05 Jun 2010 22:10:59 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=3368<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>If the mobile Internet is similar to the regular Web, chances are you’ll never finish reading this post. According to Nielsen, the average American looks at a web page on average for 56 seconds. Other research indicates that Web surfing may change your brain’s chemistry. In a Wall Street Journal article called “Does the Internet […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/will-the-mobile-internet-change-your-brain/">Does the Mobile Internet Change Your Brain?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>If the mobile Internet is similar to the regular Web, chances are you’ll never finish reading this post. According to Nielsen, the average American looks at a web page on average for 56 seconds. Other research indicates that Web surfing may change you...
If the mobile Internet is similar to the regular Web, chances are you’ll never finish reading this post. According to Nielsen, the average American looks at a web page on average for 56 seconds. Other research indicates that Web surfing may change your brain’s chemistry.
In a Wall Street Journal article called “Does the Internet make You Smarter or Dumber,” Clay Shirkey and Nicholas Carr argue about the Internet’s effects on reading and thinking. While the articles remind me of a communications class I took in college about Marshall McLuhan (you know, “the medium is the message” guy), the authors raise interesting questions about the Internet’s effects on our brains’ ability to think.
Mobile Internet, Web and Media Bad for You?

Shirkey:

* Most Internet content is written by people who don’t know what they’re talking about. They’re some exceptions, like Wikipedia or PatientsLikeMe, but only because articles are scrutinized by thousands of other people who know something about the subjects. “Whenever media become more abundant, average quality falls quickly.” Shirkey cites YouTube funny videos where the content varies from excellent to pretty raunchy.
* He thinks that digital media (“our digitally driven stupidity”) is leading us to ruin. “This issue isn’t whether there’s lots of dumb stuff online…in bookstores. The issue is whether there are any ideas so good today that they will survive into the future.”
* The danger of media, Shirkey says, is putting up with the bad stuff while the good stuff evolves. “Increased freedom to create means increased freedom to create throwaway material, as freedom to indulge in the experimentation that eventually makes the good new stuff possible.”

Carr:

* Carr focuses more on how the Web and, possibly, the mobile Internet distracts us. “…The Net, with its constant distractions and interruptions, is also turning us into scattered and superficial thinkers.”
* Links in web pages are bad. “People who read text studded with links… comprehend less than those who read traditional linear text.”
* Multi-tasking, while on the Internet, makes you a zombie. “People who are continually distracted by emails, alerts and other messages understand less than those who are able to concentrate…people who juggle many tasks are less creative and less productive than those who do one thing at a time.”
* Playing video games may be good for you. “…Certain computer tasks, like playing video games, can enhance ‘visual literacy skills,’ increasing the speed…people can shift their focus among icons and other images…”
* Computers and cell phones permanently change your brain. “The cellular structure of the human brain….adapts readily to the tools we use…By changing our habits of mind, each new technology strengthens certain neural pathways and weakens others. The cellular alternations continue to shape the way we think when we’re not using the technology.” Carr writes about research showing we’re “remodeling” our brains using the Internet and other media.
* Reading books is good. Skimming the Internet is bad. “If the slow progression of words across printed pages dampened our craving to be inundated by mental stimulation, the Internet indulges it. It returns us to our native state of distractedness,]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0881Mobile Wireless Accessibility Dropping - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/wireless-devices-in-a-mobile-portable-world/
Sun, 30 May 2010 21:37:39 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=3264<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Have you noticed that mobile wireless accessibility isdropping? As I wrote in a post called “Mobility, Portability and Accessibility in a Wireless Age,” mobile and wireless devices are becoming larger, causing transport problems as new mobile gadgets flood the market. Despite phones shrinking in weight and size since Motorola introduced the first cell phone–the Dyna-tech in […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/wireless-devices-in-a-mobile-portable-world/">Mobile Wireless Accessibility Dropping</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Have you noticed that mobile wireless accessibility isdropping? As I wrote in a post called “Mobility, Portability and Accessibility in a Wireless Age,” mobile and wireless devices are becoming larger, causing transport problems as new mobile gadgets f...
Have you noticed that mobile wireless

accessibility isdropping?
As I wrote in a post called “Mobility, Portability and Accessibility in a Wireless Age,” mobile and wireless devices are becoming larger, causing transport problems as new mobile gadgets flood the market.
Despite phones shrinking in weight and size since Motorola introduced the first cell phone–the Dyna-tech in 1983, only 2.5 pounds; 9″ X 5″ X1.5″–the latest smartphones and other MID’s (mobile Internet devices are getting BIGGER but LIGHTER.
Smartphones, which account for nearly 20% of new phones sold in the U.S., are the main culprits. Due to higher resolution screens, 5-8 megapixel cameras, GPS, MP3 players and other built-in features, phones are becoming wider and longer as their weight drops.
Next consider tablet or slate computers, eReaders and wireless devices. These mobility products are
approaching the size of netbooks with larger displays. But try stuffing them into your pocket or purse. Out goes portability unless you love carrying cases and bags.
So what’s the answer to this surge in mobility technology products? How do we maintain mobility with smartphones, e-readers, hand-held GPS units, slates and other wireless gadgets?
Mobile Wireless Accessibility
Devices like Nokia’s ClipIt that fold when transported and open when in use are possibilities. Here’s another fold-able multi-function device:
Qualcomm filed a patent for a device that folds in three parts, making it usable as a media player, tablet computer, alarm clock, a television and, yes, even a cell phone. Keep in mind, though that a lot of patents are filed that never materialize into marketable products.

Winston’s (Polymer Vision) folding e-paper device, folded, is the size of a business card. While the company hasn’t announced wireless connectivity yet, this 5-6 inch device, due for release in 2010, is a definite contender in the eReader market.
Thousands of manufacturers are developing mobile and wireless hardware and software for mobile learning, commerce, entertainment and business uses.
By the end of 2012, around 6.5BILLION people will own six BILLION mobile phones and another six BILLION wireless devices.
Get ready for a slew of bigger, lighter, mobile and portable devices in the months ahead.]]>Brian Prowsclean82Clearwire WiMAX Mobile Broadband Falls to LTE - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/clearwire-expands-4g-wireless-wimax-broadband-in-the-u-s/
Wed, 26 May 2010 01:10:04 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=3236<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Clearwire WiMax broadband service is currently available in 62 U.S. markets and reaches over 41 million people. By the end of 2010, 120 million people in the U.S. will have access to its wireless mobile service in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Denver, Minneapolis, the San Francisco Bay Area, Miami, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Pittsburgh. David Maquera, […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/clearwire-expands-4g-wireless-wimax-broadband-in-the-u-s/">Clearwire WiMAX Mobile Broadband Falls to LTE</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Clearwire WiMax broadband service is currently available in 62 U.S. markets and reaches over 41 million people. By the end of 2010, 120 million people in the U.S. will have access to its wireless mobile service in New York, Los Angeles, Boston,
David Maquera, Former SVP & Chief Strategy Officer
David Maquera is responsible for Clearwire’s technology development, strategic planning and implementation.
Prior to joining Clearwire, Maquera was VP of Strategic Development for Cricket Communications/Leap Wireless. There he handled strategic initiatives that successfully drove the company’s growth, development of wireless broadband, mobile data products and strategic partnerships.
Before Cricket, he co-founded Backwire, a media and technology start-up later acquired by Leap. Earlier in his career, Maquera worked as a consultant with McKinsey & Company.
He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and holds an MBA from Harvard University.
Clearwire WiMax vs. LTE?

* The growth of 4G mobile wireless services in the U.S.
* 250,000 new Clearwire wimax subscribers signed up for its service in the first quarter of 2010
* Average mobile broadband download speeds of 3-6 Mbps/10Mbps bursts are common; users are consuming up to 7GB of bandwidth per month
* Consumers’ overall positive experiences with faster Internet access rather than one particular application such as video are driving company growth
* WiMAX was the logical mobile broadband technology of choice at a time when LTE didn’t exist.
* Clearwire claims it’s “agnostic” to WiMAX vs. LTE and will choose the right technology to meet consumer demand
* The company is currently addressing its strategy for a change to LTE if it chooses to move in that direction
* End-users want a choice of broadband devices. Adopting one standardized technology in the U.S. would best serve consumer needs
* Partners–Sprint, Comcast, Time Warner, Intel, Google–see Clearwire wimax as meeting different broadband needs of their customers
* Metered data use for smartphone users makes sense for carriers but consumers dislike the pricing strategy. Clearwire wimax will deliver optimum bandwidth at a competitive price
* Clearwire sees itself as an enabler of M2M and other mobile broadband devices, such as Apple’s iPad

Other Articles About Clearwire WiMAX
“Clearwire’s Big Bet on our Broadband Addiction”
“Clearwire Raises a Hammer Over WiMAX’s Coffin”Amazon.com Widgets]]>Brian Prowsclean1:0383How to Deposit a Check with Your Smartphone Camera - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/how-to-deposit-a-check-with-your-smartphone-camera/
Fri, 21 May 2010 18:53:27 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=3208<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p> Deposit a Check with Your Smartphone Camera? Have any checks in your wallet or purse you need to deposit? ATM nearby? If not and you own a smartphone (iPhone, Android or Windows OS), you might want to use its camera and mobile imaging software. Take a photo, enter your checking account info, transmit it […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/how-to-deposit-a-check-with-your-smartphone-camera/">How to Deposit a Check with Your Smartphone Camera</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p> Deposit a Check with Your Smartphone Camera? Have any checks in your wallet or purse you need to deposit? ATM nearby? If not and you own a smartphone (iPhone, Android or Windows OS), you might want to use its camera and mobile imaging software.
Deposit a Check with Your Smartphone Camera?
Have any checks in your wallet or purse you need to deposit? ATM nearby? If not and you own a smartphone (iPhone, Android or Windows OS), you might want to use its camera and mobile imaging software. Take a photo, enter your checking account info, transmit it over the mobile Internet, shred the check and forget it.
Despite the “paperless society” promised by techno gurus for years and the growth of mobile banking (12 million users), 30 BILLION checks are issued and processed each year in the United States. Stacked end-to-end, those six inch wide documents would stretch from the Earth to the moon and back.
Why are consumers and businesses so endeared to paper checks? Jim DeBello, President and CEO of Mitek Systems, a document and mobile imaging company, believes our financial culture is the cause. We’re as addicted to checks as credit cards. In fact, 50% of all financial transactions, per DeBello, are check-driven. Face it, we love paper.
And it’s not only the U.S. Four billion checks are issued in France and one billion in India each year, despite the rising growth of mobile commerce and cell phone micropayments in developing areas of the world.
With the rising acceptance of mobile online banking, remote deposit of checks is the latest wave in mobile banking. It saves time, reduces fraud and makes bankers very, very happy. After all, they’re in the business of collecting money and making loans. Getting customers to deposit a check faster means more cash in the til.
Mitek Systems, Document Imaging and Smartphone Apps
For over twenty years, Mitek Systems has the industry in document scanning providing its imaging technology to the top five financial institutions, including Bancorp, in the U.S. Its ImagePROVE technology converts a camera-equipped phone (2 megapixel minimum) into a mobile document scanner that reads and captures data, then securely transmits transactions using 128 bit encryption.
Mitek provides business users with applications for faxing, copying and searching documents, recording expense receipts and depositing checks directly into bank accounts – all available on the leading mobile platforms.
Mitek’s “Ooomph” (Office on My Phone) suite of apps for smartphones with cameras include mobile deposit, mobile receipt and mobile “Phax” (fax) that even converts a document image into a PDF file for emailing. Before transmitting over the wireless Internet, Mitek cleans up the image and ensures that deposit data meet bank check 21 security compliance.
Will mobile technology replace brick and mortar banking? As Jim explains in the podcast interview, probably not. The need for personal interactions with bank staff will remain important to all but die-hard techno-types. Most of us will always want to engage a real person for some of our banking needs even if we use online banking and deposit a check with our smartphones.
Jim DeBello of Mitek Systems
Jim DeBello, President and CEO of Mitek,]]>Brian Prowsclean1:0384Mobile Music Location Based Services at Soundtrckr - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-music-location-based-services-soundtrckr/
Tue, 11 May 2010 00:01:55 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=3154<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p> Mobile Music Shared With Friends O.k., you’re Facebooked, Twittered, social networked and mobiled. You’re into location-based services. People appear on your smartphone map filled with tiny dots representing your friends like jets on radar. But you haven’t merged mobile music, social networking and geotagging into your life. Soundtrckr, a new mobile music streaming service, […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-music-location-based-services-soundtrckr/">Mobile Music Location Based Services at Soundtrckr</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p> Mobile Music Shared With Friends O.k., you’re Facebooked, Twittered, social networked and mobiled. You’re into location-based services. People appear on your smartphone map filled with tiny dots representing your friends like jets on radar.
Mobile Music Shared With Friends
O.k., you’re Facebooked, Twittered, social networked and mobiled. You’re into location-based services. People appear on your smartphone map filled with tiny dots representing your friends like jets on radar.
But you haven’t merged mobile music, social networking and geotagging into your life. Soundtrckr, a new mobile music streaming service, may be your salvation.
Mobile Music Location Based Services
The company’s a next-generation music streaming service blends Internet radio, social networking and location-awareness.
Users create their own mobile music personal radio stations, play music with friends in real time, communicate via chat and geotag songs to places.
It’s a “geosocial music service” that currently runs on iPhones, iPod Touches and the iPad. (Android, Symbian and BlackBerry folks will have to wait a while.)
With a fully licensed library of more than 7 million songs, Soundtrckr was founded in 2008 and began commercial service in January 2010. Unlike Pandora Internet Radio, the Soundtrckr mobile music experience is created through a mutual exchange between people.Danielle Calabrese, Soundtrckr’s CEO and President, wants you to experience mobile music to the ultimate, sharing songs and “sound tracking your life.” Unlike our past, filled with Walkmans, iPods and MP3 players, today we share location based services, such as mobile music. It’s important to our lives in real and staggered time as music streams from the Internet cloud.
Services such as VodoModo and HearPlanet deliver streaming video, one of the fastest-growing mobile services. Soundrckr is plain vanilla audio laced with the emotions that only music generates in our minds and hearts.
According to Danielle:
“Music is a shared experience, a way to communicate and connect. It’s intimately tied to the people and places in our daily lives. And Soundtrckr claims it’s the first application that recognizes and facilitates this connection in a concrete way. Soundtrckr makes our cities and friends active participants in the way we experience music.” This geolocating experience lets people share music that’s always

around us–parts of our lives that communicate emotions, feelings and memories experienced at points in time and space. Elliott van Buskirk, who reviewed the service for Wired, wrote: “Suddenly, even though I was listening alone, I didn’t feel quite so alone.”
Mobile music is about discovery, delivering the right song to the right person using filters. Friends suggest music based on location and mind-set. It’s not a top 40 playlist; rather, it’s music that exists in our heads and hearts, drawn from a lifetime of experiences.
Mike McGuire in an article for clean25:1085Mobile Phone Consumer Research Reveals New Trends - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-phone-consumer-research-reveals-new-trends/
Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=3049<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Mobile phone consumer research is both an art and science, especially among smartphone users who are totally immersed and engaged with the growing number of sophisticated handsets on the market. Phones are an intimate part of their lives. In September, 2009, Joy Liuzzo with InsightExpress, a digital marketing research firm, appeared on MobileBeyond to discuss […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-phone-consumer-research-reveals-new-trends/">Mobile Phone Consumer Research Reveals New Trends</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Mobile phone consumer research is both an art and science, especially among smartphone users who are totally immersed and engaged with the growing number of sophisticated handsets on the market. Phones are an intimate part of their lives.
Mobile phone consumer research is both an art and science, especially among smartphone users who are totally immersed and engaged with the growing number of sophisticated handsets on the market. Phones are an intimate part of their lives.
In September, 2009, Joy Liuzzo with InsightExpress, a digital marketing research firm, appeared on MobileBeyond to discuss her ongoing studies of consumer mobile behavior. She returns to update us on three different types of mobile phone users: Intensives, casuals and restrained.
InsightExpress
InsightExpress is a leading provider of high-quality, digital marketing research and plays a preeminent role in the measurement of advertising effectiveness across online, mobile and other media.
Through its patented technologies, proprietary solutions, world-class expertise and time-tested research principles, InsightExpress transforms the way advertisers, agencies, publishers and researchers optimize their marketing activities.
InsightExpress is headquartered in Stamford, CT, with offices in San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles.
Joy Liuzzo
As Senior Director of Marketing & Mobile Research at InsightExpress. Joy is responsible for the strategic development and management of mobile ad measurement and custom mobile research efforts across the organization.
She works closely with Product Development in the creation of all mobile research solutions, and oversees the company’s mobile position and all external partnerships and affiliations.
She is also responsible for the company’s digital media measurement marketing initiatives. Joy has extensive strategy and research experience in new media and telecommunications.
She joined InsightExpress from AOL where she held a high level role involving mobile marketing and product development and worked closely with clients at every phase of the research process.
Joy holds a B.A. from Hollins College and an M.S. from Old Dominion University.
In her second podcast interview on MobileBeyond, Joy touches on a number of consumer research topics not covered in her first interview, including:

* While mobile penetration in the U.S. is still around 85% of the population, mobile devices are rapidly growing
* Three important mobile web page factors are page load timing, great content and easy navigation
* Why mobile app advertising results vary from developer-to-developer. More sophisticated developers do better than others who just glue ads to their apps. Consumers expect greater engagement with applications they’ve loaded on their phones and trust brand advertising more than mobile website visitors who may be reluctant to purchase online. In any case, mobile ads are five times more effective than online advertising.
* Social networking interactions via the mobile channel on Facebook is now 89%; mySpace hovers around 39%; Twitter has grown from 10%-29% quickly, while LinkedIn stands at 12%. The quality of each mobile app is a major factor in driving traffic to social media sites
* Bottom line on why most people use mobile phones? For entertainment and connecting with others. Social media provides the bait: new content

* Advertising research by InsightExpress asks consumers how much they notice mobile ads, would likely click on them and the annoyance factor. Mobile Internet banner ads have the highest click factor with lowest annoyance because people are used to online Internet advertisingBrian Prowsclean1:0286How Mobile GPS Enables Location Based Services - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-gps-location-based-services-depend-on-satellite-performance/
Thu, 29 Apr 2010 21:31:44 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=3017<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Thinking of using mobile GPS to find your friends on your new smartphone? Think again. The global positioning system (GPS) is under strain. Why? Mobile device consumers, the military, and businesses demand greater accuracy and reliability. GPS also has a direct impact on location-based services. In 2009, the U.S. House of representatives asked the GAO […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-gps-location-based-services-depend-on-satellite-performance/">How Mobile GPS Enables Location Based Services</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Thinking of using mobile GPS to find your friends on your new smartphone? Think again. The global positioning system (GPS) is under strain. Why? Mobile device consumers, the military, and businesses demand greater accuracy and reliability.
Thinking of using mobile GPS to find your friends on your new smartphone? Think again. The global positioning system (GPS) is under strain. Why? Mobile device consumers, the military, and businesses demand greater accuracy and reliability. GPS also has a direct impact on location-based services.
In 2009, the U.S. House of representatives asked the GAO (Government Accounting Office) to study how long GPS service would last. Its report concluded that the Air Force, responsible for maintaining 24 GPS satellites is struggling to maintain service levels.
Starting in 2010 until the end of FY 2014, military and civilian users may experience service level drops approaching 80% of capacity. The timing is bad. Four out of five mobile phones, according to the NPD group in the 4th quarter of 2009, had GPS capabilities.
Potential problems?

* Canceled international flights or re-routing
* Lost accuracy in enhanced 911 response to emergency calls, especially in urban and mountain areas
* Increased civilian “collateral damage” in areas of war
* Lost or inaccurate signal levels for professional surveyors and others requiring pinpoint location accuracy
* Reduced coverage for location-based services via cell phones in large cities, mountainous areas and heavily forested areas of the country.

Moreover, the three major suppliers of GPS mapping databases–Navteq, owned by Nokia, Tele Atlas, part of TomTom and Google–agreed in a 2010 International CES panel that personal navigation devices (PND’s) are not disappearing. They’ll continue competing with mobile phone navigation further straining satellite performance. Meanwhile, Garmin dropped out of the navigation database software business as PND prices dropped below $100.
In the past, phone-based navigation was mainly used by pedestrians, but Google changed the game when it introduced turn-by-turn travel with Google maps.
But if you thought that its future is navigation, think again. Location-based services and social networking will dominate mobile GPS as smartphones increase, further reducing satellite performance. What will be the impact on geotagging and our 4G wireless world?
Mobile GPS: How the System Works
Most people take the system for granted as they watch their vehicle screens light up with colorful maps or mobile phones display their locations. Behind the scenes, however, a complex system is working overtime to deliver latitude and longitude information to wireless devices.
A few snippets of info about our global system.

* At least 24 active satellites circle the Earth, although today there are more than 30, including a couple of spares. Their orbits spread out so no matter where you are, you’ll have at least six of them in your line of sight.
* Each satellite goes around the world once every 12 hours. The satellites are above us 12,500 miles (20,000 km) and move at roughly 7,000 miles per hour (11,000 km per hour). They have small boosters so they can adjust their path when needed.

* The first full constellation of 24 satellites went up in 1994. The first of those 24 satellites launched in 1989.
* To get a reliable position, your mobile GPS receiver needs to combine the signals from at least four satellites, although in some special cases, three is enough.
* The system went public due to a tragedy. In 1983, the Soviets shot down a Korean Air Lines flight after it entered Soviet airspace d...]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0887M2M Smart Devices Boost Carrier Revenues - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/m2m-wireless-smart-devices-could-boost-mobile-carrier-revenues/
Tue, 27 Apr 2010 02:54:24 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=2958<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>M2M (machine-to-machine communications) may yet save wireless carriers while offering consumers and businesses innovative new services. While carriers madly search for alternative revenue streams, such as wireless health products, they continue hoping smartphones and data plan revenues will save their core mobile phone business. This “churn/burn” strategy is worsened by the large number of cellular […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/m2m-wireless-smart-devices-could-boost-mobile-carrier-revenues/">M2M Smart Devices Boost Carrier Revenues</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>M2M (machine-to-machine communications) may yet save wireless carriers while offering consumers and businesses innovative new services. While carriers madly search for alternative revenue streams, such as wireless health products,M2M (machine-to-machine communications) may yet save wireless carriers while offering consumers and businesses innovative new services.
While carriers madly search for alternative revenue streams, such as wireless health products, they continue hoping smartphones and data plan revenues will save their core mobile phone business.
This “churn/burn” strategy is worsened by the large number of cellular customers who are on pre-paid plans to the dismay of the carriers. Pre-paid cell phone service was not the original model for U.S. carriers, who based profitability on contract customers on two-year contracts with subsidized phones. Contract customers 2010 Q1 dropped 67% for Verizon Wireless and 43% at AT&T.
The U.S. cell phone market has reached saturation (85%+ of all Americans own one or more mobile phones). However, the majority of all wireless phones in the U.S. are feature phones limited to voice, texting and limited WAP Internet access. The majority of feature phone owners do not surf the mobile Web.
While growing, the U.S. smartphone market remains at less than 20% of all U.S. phones, bolstered by iPhone, Android and other Internet-enabled phone sales. But even Apple’s iconic iPhone only has a 4% market share.
So considering the carriers’ predicament, how can they use their 3G/4G wireless networks to generate and sustain revenues?
M2M: New Markets, Products and Services
Verizon Wireless, owned in part by Vodafone, announced a partnership with Qualcomm at Mobile World Congress 2010 that created a joint venture called nPhase. The new partnership is all about M2M (machine-to-machine) wireless devices and services, such as smart meters, that serve a number of industries across CDMA and GSM networks in Europe and the U.S.
M2M wireless consumer and business applications perform a single function like smart meters that monitor and report energy use. Another example of M2M is connectivity to your auto as a reminder to service your vehicle.
The genesis of M2M communications is unclear, but it started emerging around 2000 when cellular technology permitted connections to computer systems. The OnStar system is one example.
In 2009 AT&T formed a partnership with Jasper Wireless to create new M2M devices connecting consumer electronics and wireless networks. A year later, AT&T along with Jasper and other carriers, began working on a hub for developers working in the field of M2M communication electronics.
M2M smart services will impact many industries including energy, health care, consumer products, telematics (GPS is one example ), heavy off-road machinery, industrial equipment and commercial products. Essentially, M2M technology can connect any two wireless devices that exchange data.
These carrier services differ 180 degrees from the cell phone business. M2M, as it grows in the U.S. and overseas, will offer a multitude of wireless applications for consumers and businesses.
The Verizon Wireless and Qualcomm (nPhase) partnership will also produce new revenues totally unrelated to mobile phones and other wireless devices. Consumers and businesses benefit from new wireless services that run behind-the-scenes providing value at low-cost.
As mobile operators around the world move into machine-to-machine wireless applications, the entire landscape of carrier services will change. Rising new revenue streams will follow.]]>Brian Prowsclean5:0788Mobile Marketing Performance with Andy Bovingdon - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-analytics-with-bangos-andy-bovingdon/
Sun, 18 Apr 2010 21:43:24 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=2795<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Mobile marketing performance helps marketers better understand campaign results. Yet, as analytics transitions to mobile from online, app and website measurement needs improvement so marketers better understand consumer sentiment. Andy Bovingdon, VP of Product Marketing for Bango remarks about the change in consumer adoption of mobile: “…Analytics is less about measuring clicks and more about […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-analytics-with-bangos-andy-bovingdon/">Mobile Marketing Performance with Andy Bovingdon</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Mobile marketing performance helps marketers better understand campaign results. Yet, as analytics transitions to mobile from online, app and website measurement needs improvement so marketers better understand consumer sentiment. Andy Bovingdon,
Andy Bovingdon, VP of Product Marketing for Bango remarks about the change in consumer adoption of mobile: “…Analytics is less about measuring clicks and more about consumer engagement.”
Google, Bing, Facebook and other advertisers now apply social media principles to achieve a better response of brand awareness. Outdated online tools don’t work well in mobile. Mobile engages consumers through multiple channels of awareness.
Bango is the leading provider of mobile payment and mobile marketing performance analytics products for businesses targeting the Web-enabled mobile devices. The company provides worldwide clients with actionable information, including smartphone Internet usage cellular and Wi-Fi networks.
Mobile Marketing Performance Best Practices
The firms’s reports are far more accurate and comprehensive than other service providers. Bango identifies mobile user behaviors as consumers interact with mobile advertising.
Bango (see case studies) shows data in real-time, helping marketers better track mobile marketing performance through search results. This helps enterprise and smaller businesses better assess each campaign’s ROI.
Juniper Research estimated that mobile ad spend in 2009 was $500M. In 2010, 90% of surveyed brands said they’re increasing mobile expenditures, expanding the need for accurate marketing performance engagement.
Yet, according to a 2009 consumer study, brands, agencies, and mobile providers don’t measure critical factors that improve engagement success.
80% of Brands Don’t Test Mobile Marketing Performance
In a survey of 100 webinar participants, primarily from the United States and Europe, Bango discovered that 83% of brands don’t use mobile marketing performance analytic tools, leading to inaccurate campaign performance reports. 17% use some sort of measurement and 27%–around a third—don’t use mobile measurement tools at all.
According to Bovingdon, “…traditional PC Web analytics solutions rely on JavaScript, cookies and IP addresses to identify a visiting browser…these techniques alone simply do not deliver accurate results on mobile.” (See the Bango blog for additional articles on mobile marketing performance.)
Mobile Payments Growing in the U.S.
In 2009, the U.S. accounted for over 29% of the world’s total web browsing, beating out the U.K. Mobile payment use is also growing faster in the U.S. than other countries, requiring better user engagement measurement over longer periods of time.
Due to increasing worldwide mobile Web use, Bango’s CEO, Ray Anderson, and Andy stress the importance of the “lifetime value of customers,” who demonstrate low churn and mobile marketing brand opt-out rates. That’s the ultimate measure of mobile marketing performance.
Andy Bovingdon Podcast Interview Summary
During the podcast, Andy and Brian Prows discuss Bango mobile payments, mobile marketing performance engagement tools and the 2009 study showing that brands are not adequately measuring mobile campaigns. Additional topics include:

* The importance of “relevance” in mobile interactions with consumers.]]>Brian Prowsclean1:0389Wireless Healthcare with Don Jones of Trice Imaging - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/wireless-healthcare-with-don-jones-of-qualcomm/
Wed, 07 Apr 2010 01:24:39 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=2627<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Wireless healthcare is a rapidly expanding industry that’s changing health monitoring. The Health and Life Sciences group at Qualcomm is one of the key companies driving wireless solutions in healthcare. Welcome to “wireless band-aids,” wireless sensors, remote health monitoring, pill containers that kindly remind you to take your meds and devices that measure fitness. Behind […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/wireless-healthcare-with-don-jones-of-qualcomm/">Wireless Healthcare with Don Jones of Trice Imaging</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Wireless healthcare is a rapidly expanding industry that’s changing health monitoring. The Health and Life Sciences group at Qualcomm is one of the key companies driving wireless solutions in healthcare. Welcome to “wireless band-aids,wireless solutions in healthcare.
Welcome to “wireless band-aids,” wireless sensors, remote health monitoring, pill containers that kindly remind you to take your meds and devices that measure fitness.
Behind these wireless technologies is a mobile phone, the “remote control” to sharing medical records, measuring vital signs and helping people control their weight through diet and exercise reporting.
While Polar chest straps may have helped exercise buffs stay in shape yesterday, today’s wireless healthcare gadgets offer consumers more choices to maintain their health.
Will Wireless Health Revolutionize Healthcare?
Don Jones, former Vice President of Business Development for the company’s health and life sciences division wrote:

The healthcare industry as we know it today is broken…too expensive…and needs to be fixed. ‘Smart’ sensor technologies, when combined with wireless, will create major transformations in the way we will be able to deliver care…Wireless will profoundly change the quality and cost structure of medicine.”
Don Jones became the founder and board member of the Wireless Life Sciences Alliance, an organization that enables new business models and improvements in all sectors of the industry, including consumer health, services, IT, pharmaceutical and medical devices. Prior to joining Qualcomm, Jones spent 22 years developing and growing healthcare enterprises.
According to Don Jones, each year 150 million Americans (yes, 150 MILLION) use a hospital for emergency care, testing or admission. When discharged, patients are increasingly walking out the door wearing wireless healthcare sensors that measure vital signs and keep hospital and medical staff updated about patients’ conditions. Qualcomm estimates that by 2014 Americans will use over 400 MILLION wearable medical devices.
Bio-Sensor Monitoring Devices
One of the more common devices, the “smart band-aid,” is equipped with a power supply and biosensors, allowing medical staff to ensure patient safety and improve medical monitoring. Eventually, patients with conditions not requiring immediate hospitalization (ex. those with cardiovascular conditions) may wear a smart band-aid applied by their physicians during routine exams.
As Don points out in the podcast interview, wireless healthcare technicians, nurses and, ultimately computers, will monitor our bodily conditions remotely. If conditions warrant human intervention, computer programs will alert medical staff.
The move to wireless health care is critical to controlling health care costs while improving well-being.
Both large and small companies–quite a few in the San Diego area–are trying to gain a foothold in this rapidly expanding industry, as witnessed by this year’s Consumer Electronics Show’s attendees, including Halo Monitoring,]]>Brian Prowsclean38:2890Cell Phone Radiation and Brain Cancer Debate Continues - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/cell-phone-radiation-and-brain-cancer-debate-continues/
Sat, 27 Mar 2010 22:58:52 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=2497<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>The debate whether cell phone radiation causes or contributes to brain cancer continues. Worldwide, one in 29,000 men and one in 38,000 women develop brain tumors each year from all causes. Residents in developed nations are twice as likely to develop cancer than in developing countries. But scientists, governments, the wireless industry and the public […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/cell-phone-radiation-and-brain-cancer-debate-continues/">Cell Phone Radiation and Brain Cancer Debate Continues</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>The debate whether cell phone radiation causes or contributes to brain cancer continues. Worldwide, one in 29,000 men and one in 38,000 women develop brain tumors each year from all causes. Residents in developed nations are twice as likely to develop...
The debate whether cell phone radiation causes or contributes to brain cancer continues. Worldwide, one in 29,000 men and one in 38,000 women develop brain tumors each year from all causes.
Residents in developed nations are twice as likely to develop cancer than in developing countries.
But scientists, governments, the wireless industry and the public disagree about cell phone safety and the human brain, although pregnant women and children may have a higher risk.Research linking low-level “non-thermal” radiation from cell phones has been studied for decades. But five factors connecting brain cancer with mobile devices cloud the picture.
First, it takes 15-20 years for most cancers or tumors to appear and multiple reasons account for them.
Second, more people today have cell phones. In 1996, only 34 million Americans owned them. By mid 2010, over 240 million people will own at least one mobile phone, kept within nine feet of their bodies, whether awake or sleeping, increasing exposure to RF signals.
Third, smartphones increase radiation exposure because they’re used constantly for voice and data. Only a few years ago, few people owned smartphones and only used their cells for voice, texting and loading WAP sites.
Fourth, everyone is surrounded by radio and television towers, microwave dishes, radar antennas, microwave ovens and other wireless devices. Increasing total radio frequency radiation boosts the risk of brain and other disorders. (See the National Cancer Institute‘s summary.)
Last, there’s increased use of Wi-Fi in home networks, hotspots and over larger geographic areas using WiMax. A Swedish study in 2006 concluded that WiMax contributed to increased headaches, breathing difficulties and blurred vision. When WiMax was turned off, the symptoms disappeared.
Mobile Phone Use in Buildings and Mass Transit Systems Rising

People are now using their mobile handsets more within buildings or while on mass transit systems than outdoors. To boost signal strength for voice and data reception, wireless carriers have installed cell repeaters and additional antennas, further increasing exposure to electromagnetic radiation.
The “Frey” Effect

RF (radio frequency) is a non-ionizing form of radiation. Unlike ionizing radiation from X-rays, RF doesn’t warm the body. RF emissions only penetrate human tissue.
In 1960, Allen Frey, who worked for General Electric’s Advanced Electronics center at Cornell, caused an uproar among neuroscientists when he tested how microwave radiation affects the brains, hearts and eyes of frogs and other lab animals.
Frey traveled to a radar field where he felt the buzz of high-level radar emissions inside his brain. This became known as the “Frey effect.” Later, he studied the safety of microwave ovens, considered safe by most at the time, and studied how eletromagnetism affects human body.
Microwave ovens operate within the 1900Mhz spectrum, similar to cellular CDMA networks.]]>Brian Prowsclean9:0791Sixth Sense Mobile Augmented Reality – Pranav Mistry - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/sixth-sense-technology-mobile-augmented-reality/
Sat, 13 Mar 2010 07:15:29 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=2361<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Every so often in human history one person shares a vision so compelling and mind shattering that we take pause. Pranav Mistry is an exciting, visionary who’s having a dramatic impact on sixth sense mobile augmented reality. MIT’s Pranav Mistry, the inventor of “sixth sense mobile technology” made a presentation at the TEDIndia 2009 meeting. Since then, interest […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/sixth-sense-technology-mobile-augmented-reality/">Sixth Sense Mobile Augmented Reality – Pranav Mistry</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Every so often in human history one person shares a vision so compelling and mind shattering that we take pause. Pranav Mistry is an exciting, visionary who’s having a dramatic impact on sixth sense mobile augmented reality. MIT’s Pranav Mistry,
MIT’s Pranav Mistry, the inventor of “sixth sense mobile technology” made a presentation at the TEDIndia 2009 meeting. Since then, interest in his work, boosted by a number of hugely popular YouTube videos, has skyrocketed.
A grad student with the Fluid Interfaces Group at MIT, he caused a storm with his creation of sixth sense technology. He says that the movies “Robocop” and “Minority Report” gave him the inspiration to create his view of a world not dominated by computers, digital information and human robots, but one where computers and other digital devices enhance people’s enjoyment of the physical world.
For $350, Mistry assembled a pocket projector, camera and mirror worn like a pendant around your neck connected to a mobile computing device in your pocket–nothing more than a stripped-down smartphone with wires connected to your fingers acting as “visual tracking fiducials.” His open-sourced software allows sixth sense users to connect digital and mixed human realities.
Here’s a short video of him demonstrating uses of sixth sense mobile augmented reality.

Sixth Sense Mobile Augmented Reality’s Impact
This visionary has a Web 4.0 view of human and machine interactions. He talks about augmenting the physical world with digital information using hand gestures to interact with information. “‘sixth sense integrates digital information into the physical world and its objects, making the entire world your computer.” He sees sixth sense not changing human habits but causing computers and other machines to adapt to human needs.
Mistry believes that social networking sites keep us separated from the true reality of our physical world and the importance of remaining human.
He positively believes in the benefits of his invention for those who are physically hindered such as the blind and deaf.
The mobile devices in our pockets transmit and receive voice and data anywhere and to anyone via the mobile Internet.
Think of a time in the future when people won’t need Twitter or Facebook to connect digitally. Instead, people will communicate in real time, co-creating and sharing their realities.
The possibilities with mobile and other wireless devices are enormous from group collaboration worldwide on personal and business projects to wireless health care applications. Mistry says: “What we can do is not important…what we should do is more important.”
Digital Gestures
Mistry further demonstrates sixth sense mobile technology. He shows how his software recognizes three kinds of gestures, including multi-touch similar to the iPhones and free hand gestures, taking pictures with your hands and projecting them on a wall later for viewing and editing.
In this final video clip, Mistry, speaking at the TEDIndia event,]]>Brian Prowsclean5:1592Mobility, Portability and Accessibility in a Wireless Age - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobility-portability-and-accessibility-in-a-wireless-age/
Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:56:16 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=2350<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>There’s a lot of discussion these days about mobile devices–phones, iPads, Kindles, netbooks. I suppose a car or truck is a mobile device too. Although it weighs several thousand pounds, put gas in it, start it up and it moves. It’s mobile. But a fridge is not a mobile device, unless you’ve installed wheels under […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobility-portability-and-accessibility-in-a-wireless-age/">Mobility, Portability and Accessibility in a Wireless Age</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>There’s a lot of discussion these days about mobile devices–phones, iPads, Kindles, netbooks. I suppose a car or truck is a mobile device too. Although it weighs several thousand pounds, put gas in it, start it up and it moves. It’s mobile.phones, iPads, Kindles, netbooks. I suppose a car or truck is a mobile device too. Although it weighs several thousand pounds, put gas in it, start it up and it moves. It’s mobile.
But a fridge is not a mobile device, unless you’ve installed wheels under it and attached a rope. A fridge is a stationary device. Handy, but not too mobile.
We also have a lot of portable things in our lives–maybe too many. Portable radios are nice. You can take them nearly anywhere and they’re functional.
They play music and provide news and information. So’s a hair dryer, I suppose. But unless it’s battery powered, a hair dryer is about three feet portable. It’s neither mobile nor portable. (I know, you can unplug it and take it with you, but play along with me for a bit.)
Where am I going with all this nonsense, you ask? Why is Brian talking about mobility and portability in a wireless age? Well, because I think the distinction is important. Everyone loves their iPhone or Android smartphone. They lug around pretty well…and they’re “mobile”…and pretty portable too.
How about the TV set in your living room? HD and 200 pounds. It’s stationary unless you’re strong and agile enough to carry it with you to the office or your neighbor’s house for the next SuperBowl game. Otherwise, it stays put. (Hard to vacumn around too.)
Has Brian lost his marbles? What’s he mumbling about? Why doesn’t he talk about something sensible like the lack of wireless spectrum or mobiles in Africa or get Patrick Mork back on the phone for another podcast about GetJar? Where’s he going with this piece?
Well, it’s like this. Since everything in the Universe comes in threes–you know, the Trinity, “three’s a crowd,” “The Three Faces of Eve” (that’s a movie for you folks under 20), “Three Coins in a Fountain” (that’s a song for anyone older than 50), and other sets of threes (read the Wikipedia article if you’re into that sort of thing)–why not talk about mobility, portability and accessibility in a wireless age?
Whoa, guy. Slow down. You’ve been playing with your Blackberry too long. Where are you taking me on this word journey?
The point is this. (Aha, I knew he had a point. What blogger doesn’t?) The point is that some things are mobile and portable, like your Verizon Wireless Droid. (Knew he’d talk about phones eventually.) Other things are portable like a flashlight or your wallet. Some things are both mobile and portable–like that semi you nearly hit on the freeway yesterday.
But a lot of things in our wireless age are not accessible, like Google at headquarters on a weekend of after 4 when the staff is playing foosball.]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0893Mobile Japanese Culture with Kei Shimada - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-japanese-culture-with-kei-shimada/
Thu, 04 Mar 2010 04:35:58 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=2272<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p> 126 Million Mobile Japanese Lead the World in Wireless Mobile Japanese Culture to many of us in the United States and elsewhere may remain a mystery but not to Kei Shimada, Founder and President of Infinita in Tokyo. You see, Kei is a mobile evangelist for the Japanese people. In a land of 128 […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-japanese-culture-with-kei-shimada/">Mobile Japanese Culture with Kei Shimada</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p> 126 Million Mobile Japanese Lead the World in Wireless Mobile Japanese Culture to many of us in the United States and elsewhere may remain a mystery but not to Kei Shimada, Founder and President of Infinita in Tokyo. You see,
126 Million Mobile Japanese

Lead the World in Wireless
Mobile Japanese Culture to many of us in the United States and elsewhere may remain a mystery but not to Kei Shimada, Founder and President of Infinita in Tokyo. You see, Kei is a mobile evangelist for the Japanese people.
In a land of 128 million people, surrounded by water, 109 million wake up, work with, play with, live and breathe with their mobile phones.
Nine out of ten Japanese use either mobile services or have 3G wireless connections on their mobile devices, a higher penetration of wireless broadband than any other country in the world.
Before the iPhone, Android and other smartphones emerged elsewhere, before the Chinese were playing mobile games , the Japanese people already had adopted mobile barcodes, mobile coupons and mobile advertising.
Japanese culture has embraced mobile technologies unlike other countries and continents in the world. But then, Kei knows that well. He tells the world about the mobile Japanese.
Mobile Japanese Culture
Fluent in multiple European languages, English and, of course, the Japanese language, Kei Shimada grew up in the United States while living more than half of his life in various parts of Japan.
From his experience in the mobile, telecommunications, manufacturing and security industries, Kei has deep expertise in corporate strategic planning, business development, human resources and sales and marketing. Kei likes to experiment with and implement new business ideas across cultural and geographic boundaries.
After graduating from Waseda University in 1996, Kei worked for Panasonic, Lucent Technologies, Cybird and Synchro, all leading companies in their respective industries.
His passions, aside from work, include tennis, snowboarding, travel – especially to Germany, Spain and Italy – and cooking with his wife. He is a gadget lover by nature and is now hooked on the HTC Hero Android phone, named by MobileBeyond as the best Android mobile phone over Google’s Nexus One.
Android phones are rare in the Japanese mobile market. So Kei had to travel outside the country to buy one. (Apple recently announced a patent infringement lawsuit against HTC, a handset manufacturer in Taiwan, that makes Android and Windows Mobile smartphones.)
When Kei isn’t flying around the world, counseling numerous major brands, companies and mobile entrepreneurs, he’s tweeting on Twitter (quickly growing among the Japanese, including the Prime Minister) and sending out Facebook messages to thousands of followers, who learn about the latest mobile phones and mobile Internet devices in Japan and mobile carrier news. (Japan has three majors: NTT DOCOMO, KDDI and SoftBank.)
The Japanese Language: A Barrier to the World?
Most Japanese, unlike Europeans, only speak their native tongue, which Kei says prevents many Japanese from communicating their culture and ideas throughout the world. This especially applies to mobile technology. Most Japanese people, unlike mobile geeks in the U.S. and elsewhere, are not especially interested in how mobile is used in other countries.]]>Brian Prowsclean5294Mobile Augmented Reality: Mobiles, AI, Cloud Merge - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/the-day-mobiles-artificial-intelligence/
Wed, 24 Feb 2010 07:35:12 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=2243<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>The day started like any other, sun rising, Earth spinning, Moon in orbit. But it was a special day–an inevitable one–when mobile devices, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing merged into mobile augmented reality. As mobile smartphone applications, mobile data, the wireless Internet, and smartphones morphed into location-aware systems, the need for augmented reality disappeared. All […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/the-day-mobiles-artificial-intelligence/">Mobile Augmented Reality: Mobiles, AI, Cloud Merge</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>The day started like any other, sun rising, Earth spinning, Moon in orbit. But it was a special day–an inevitable one–when mobile devices, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing merged into mobile augmented reality.
The day started like any other, sun rising, Earth spinning, Moon in orbit. But it was a special day–an inevitable one–when mobile devices, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing merged into mobile augmented reality.
As mobile smartphone applications, mobile data, the wireless Internet, and smartphones morphed into location-aware systems, the need for augmented reality disappeared. All became real.
After all, people across the globe equally shared mobile assistance systems (MAS), wireless devices worn around the neck or embedded into clothing or the human brain, neural nets connected to the Cloud.
Mobile Augmented Reality Morphed
Before the day of MAS arrived, mobile and wireless networks had replaced all communication and computing devices on the planet.
Mobile broadband, operating at nine terabytes a second, saturated both developed and developing continents through intelligent satellites, ground receivers and spread spectrum Wi-Fi. The Earth, itself, an intelligent, global, wireless Internet cafe.
Primitive handheld devices, once called PDA’s, phones, tablets, disappeared. Smartphone technology and wireless mobile applications migrated to the only necessary computing device–the human brain. People became walking mobiles, a kaleidoscope of nodes in a vast network of thinking, breathing organisms.
Though some objected to the ends of the Earth, they were quieted by the advantages of a completely wireless, connected human ecosystem. Health care became an electronic collaboration of patient and provider, driving down health costs, improving physical and mental well-being.
Global chat rooms once called social media, emerged as billions of silent discussions crisscrossed space and time, eliminating distance, a world of timeless conversations.
Neural nets revolutionized mobile commerce as human brains scanned vast catalogs of products and services in the Cloud, a repository of all knowledge, a beacon of light bringing millions of minds together, neurons exploding across the mobisphere. Nothing held back the power of mobile augmented reality.
Education and mobile learning changed over the years to AI learning through applications created by mutually collected thought. Some called it the “university of the sky”; others,]]>Brian Prowsclean1:0495Mobile Internet Research Report Reveals Massive Growth - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-internet-research-report/
Wed, 17 Feb 2010 04:50:54 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=2129<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Mobile Web Growing Faster Than Expected (Revised a bit 9/13) The latest mobile Internet research report , says more about the latest wireless technologies than than growth rates. WiMax is a good example. Studies about the future of the mobile Web tend to cluster into two categories: “hard” research, such as the huge increase in […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-internet-research-report/">Mobile Internet Research Report Reveals Massive Growth</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Mobile Web Growing Faster Than Expected (Revised a bit 9/13) The latest mobile Internet research report , says more about the latest wireless technologies than than growth rates. WiMax is a good example. Studies about the future of the mobile Web ten...

Mobile Web Growing Faster Than Expected

(Revised a bit 9/13)
The latest mobile Internet research report , says more about the latest wireless technologies than than growth rates. WiMax is a good example.
Studies about the future of the mobile Web tend to cluster into two categories: “hard” research, such as the huge increase in mobile devices connected to the Web and “soft” research focused on mobile phone user engagement or social media preferences among smart phone users.
Both hard and soft research reveal important trends in mobile Internet usage, but rarely do you find comprehensive studies that combine both types of mobile research, conclusively showing how massively mobile is impacting global populations.
Mobile Internet Report Summary from Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley released a 92 slide presentation summary of its December, 2009 Mobile Internet Report that offers the most comprehensive, mind-blowing information about mobile growth I’ve ever seen. I urge you to download and read the PDF.
(This summary was updated in April, 2011; however, the 2009 report is remarkably similar to current 2011 data.)
Below are statistics and revelations found in this thorough, exhaustive study:

* The mobile Internet is growing faster and will be bigger than the desktop Internet did due to five converging technologies and social adoption trends: 3G, social networking, video, VoIP and impressive mobile devices.
* Use of the mobile Internet is driving mobile device growth exponentially faster that any previous computing technology. Mobile Internet devices (MID’s) exceeded 10 (ten) BILLION units in 2010.
* New companies often win big as emerging technologies create wealth. For example, HP rose in the 70’s as mini-computers dominated; the same with Apple, Microsoft and Cisco when personal computers grabbed markets in the 80’s; and Google, Amazon and Baidu upon the appearance of desktop Internet computing in the 90’s. Who will be the rising stars as the mobile Internet crushes older technologies?
* They’re both opportunities and risks as mobile changes infrastructure, platforms and applications. Consumer hunger for wireless data and content is causing major concerns among mobile operators worldwide. Facebook is becoming a desktop and mobile “hub.” Demand for new mobile games or services, like Pandora Internet Radio, rise when consumers have 24X7 mobile wireless access, especially as 4G wireless broadband networks quickly deliver mobile content.
* Tower companies are well positioned to benefit from network expansion. Listen to my podcast interview with Scott Goodrich of CSI.
* Apple’s control of its hardware, software, content distribution through iTunes and its range of devices–iPhone, iTouch, Mac, iPod, iPad and other pad computers–could achieve higher positioning with the mobile Internet than NTT docomo did as Japan’s platform leader. (Apple’s acquisition of Quattro Wireless further solidifies Apple’s potential dominance in mobile advertising.)
]]>Brian Prowsclean2:0996Smartphone Mobile Games at mPlayit - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/craig-dalton-of-mplayit-helps-consumers-discover-mobile-games/
Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=2121<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>From the earliest days of Java-based mobile phones to today’s more powerful smartphones, mobile games have been the most popular apps available on the mobile Web. Smartphone mobile games at mPlayit aren’t an exception. Free smartphone mobile games are available for Android, iPhone, BlackBerry and feature phones from GetJar and other online app stores. The […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/craig-dalton-of-mplayit-helps-consumers-discover-mobile-games/">Smartphone Mobile Games at mPlayit</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>From the earliest days of Java-based mobile phones to today’s more powerful smartphones, mobile games have been the most popular apps available on the mobile Web. Smartphone mobile games at mPlayit aren’t an exception.
Free smartphone mobile games are available for Android, iPhone, BlackBerry and feature phones from GetJar and other online app stores.
The problem? How do mobile phone users find and choose the best and latest mobile games on the mobile Internet?
That’s where mPlayit helps.Mplayit is the leading global provider for online playable discovery and social merchandising of mobile games and applications.
The company uses social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as other mobile content providers, to help consumers find the top mobile games.
The company’s proprietary software solutions improve merchandising, marketing, and interactions with a targeted user audience of mobile consumers. (Mplayit is backed by New Atlantic Ventures.)
Smartphone Mobile Games Surround mPlayit
In its latest survey, mPlayit found that 47% of the most popular mobile apps for the iPhone are games, 20% for Android phones and 30% for Blackberry owners. This dispels the belief that Blackberry owners only read email and track their schedules and business expenses.
Here’s a chart showing the top three mobile games for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry phones.

Craig Dalton of mPlayit
Craig Dalton, mPlayit’s Vice President of Business Development, has 16 years experience in sales and marketing management. He also has extensive experience building profitable business strategies in the mobile industry.
Responsible for establishing strategic relationships with mobile operators, social media and Web 2.0 companies, Craig helps develop and increase revenue streams using the company’s online trial and merchandising solutions.
Prior to Mplayit, Dalton managed business development for MMS pioneer Hook Mobile where he developed initiatives with wireless operators and social media platforms.
Craig Dalton has also managed business development for global mobile entertainment publisher I-Play. While with Proteus, an interactive television and mobile pioneer, Craig completed the first TV-to-SMS campaign in the U.S. for Super Bowl 36.
Craig earned an MBA from the Graduate School of Management at the University of California, Irvine and a BSBA in Business Administration from The American University.
Smartphone Mobile Games Podcast Interview with Craig Dalton
In a conversion with Brian Prows, Craig discusses the growth of mobile games from the earliest Java-based to today’s sophisticated games that only operate on complex smartphones.
During the audio interview, Craig shares his views on a variety of topics, including:

* Popularity differences among smartphone mobile games available for iPhone, BlackBerry and Android phone users. Compare to mobile game popularity in China.
* Why many feature phone users with Java-based phones aren’t aware of the capabilities of their mobile devices and available games
* Fragmentation within the mobile game industry due to apps that only run on specific mobile platforms
* Unique characteristics of the Kindle and iPad
* Growth and flexibility of Android mobile phones
* How consumers can use Facebook and other social media sites to discover and experience the best mobile games
* Developers’ need for word-of-mouth to market their mobile apps to targeted audiences
* Why 90% of mobile users have NEVER downloaded a game with the exception of iPhone ...]]>Brian Prowsclean1:0297Cell Phone Batteries in a 4G LTE World Getting Better? - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/cell-phone-batteries-3g-world/
Mon, 08 Feb 2010 04:02:24 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=2101<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Cell phone batteries, one of life’s pains, are getting better, but… You’ve just purchased your new 4G LTE smartphone, charged the battery, turned it on, launched the music player, taken a few photos, surfed the web and checked out Google maps. You’re happy as a clam. To your dismay, the cellular battery meter on the phone […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/cell-phone-batteries-3g-world/">Cell Phone Batteries in a 4G LTE World Getting Better?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Cell phone batteries, one of life’s pains, are getting better, but… You’ve just purchased your new 4G LTE smartphone, charged the battery, turned it on, launched the music player, taken a few photos, surfed the web and checked out Google maps.
Cell phone batteries, one of life’s pains, are getting better, but…
You’ve just purchased your new 4G LTE smartphone, charged the battery, turned it on, launched the music player, taken a few photos, surfed the web and checked out Google maps.
You’re happy as a clam. To your dismay, the cellular battery meter on the phone starts draining faster than a heavily-loaded SUV.
What happened? The cellular battery on your old phone lasted a lot longer than you new one. Of course, you probably didn’t have a high res camera, megabytes of MP3 audio files and a 3G data connection with your carrier. You used your phone mostly for talking and texting–not staying online 24/7 for tweets and Facebook wall scrawl.
Face it, batteries haven’t kept pace with mobile smartphones that suck bandwidth. In the past, you used a portable Garmin, Magellan or Nuvi for GPS tracking. To take photos, you grabbed your 8 megapixel digital camera. If you’re into music, out popped your iPod or MP3 player.
Now, your mobile phone has most of those features. Your smartphone is like a Swiss jackknife–one wireless device with lots of functions, which takes its toll on battery life.
Cell Phone Batteries Six Feet Under

The battery drain problem reminds me of a 2005 episode from “Alias,” a popular C.I.A TV series.

Sydney Bristow, Alias Character

Sydney Bristow, a lady who does cartwheels for the CIA, gets locked in a coffin and buried in a grave six feet deep with nothing except a cell phone and a dead guy next to her.
As the oxygen levels drop, Sydney’s cell phone battery meter drops to minus one.
Meanwhile, Marshall, her C.I.A. tech geek, madly drives around Havana, Cuba in a taxi, trying to triangulate her location.
While Marshall searches for her in the graveyard, Sydney’s last gasps are transmitted by her cell to Langley before her cell phone battery dies.
Just as Sydney’s cell goes to mobile Heaven, Marshall finally arrives at the cemetery. Breathless, Marshall gets help from C.I.A. headquarters’ folks who manage to locate a satellite showing poor Sydney’s thermal emissions. (She’s still warm; her cell’s battery quite cold.)
Marshall, not in the best shape of his life, sees a shovel, digs poor Sydney out from six feet under and performs CPR (on Sydney–not her cell phone). She finally regains consciousness. No so with her dead, drained cell phone battery.
Don’t ask me how a cell phone signal is traceable under six feet of dirt inside a coffin. The point of the story is familiar to everyone whose mobile phone battery died in the middle of an important phone call, reading email, texting or surfing the Web.
Bottom line: Mobile phone batteries, especially those used in 3G smartphones, haven’t kept up with the demands of today’s mobile computing needs.
In my podcast interview with Scott Goodrich of Cellular Systems, Inc., he pointed out that 80% of all cell phone use occurs inside buildings. That includes both voice and data use. Employees are more “mobile” inside their company’s buildings than outdoors, which changes the meaning of “mobility.”
CSI supplies cell phone repeaters and other gear to boost cellular signal levels inside buildings, reducing the drain on your cell phone’s battery.
Cell Phone Advice for your Dying Smartphone
CNET Australia offers the following advice for iPhone users,]]>Brian Prowsclean6:4098Cell Phone Texting Can Cause Accidents - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/cell-phone-accidents-and-dangers-while-walking-talking-texting-and-surfing/
Sat, 23 Jan 2010 22:59:44 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=2015<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p> Cell phone texting accidents, due to distraction while talking, walking and especially driving are increasing. There’s increasing evidence that walking while using your phone to talk, text, tweet and surf is dangerous. While some users are worried about the RF produced by phones causing brain cancer, you’re more likely to get hurt through common […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/cell-phone-accidents-and-dangers-while-walking-talking-texting-and-surfing/">Cell Phone Texting Can Cause Accidents</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p> Cell phone texting accidents, due to distraction while talking, walking and especially driving are increasing. There’s increasing evidence that walking while using your phone to talk, text, tweet and surf is dangerous.

Cell phone texting accidents, due to distraction while talking, walking and especially driving are increasing. There’s increasing evidence that walking while using your phone to talk, text, tweet and surf is dangerous.
While some users are worried about the RF produced by phones causing brain cancer, you’re more likely to get hurt through common use.
A recent New York Times article refers to “distracted walking.” Teen phone accidents, in particular, are related to using cells while making phone calls or texting. The brain becomes distracted, making it more likely people using their mobile phones will ignore red lights and oncoming traffic.
Accidents requiring an emergency room visit rose to 2,000 in 2008, double that of 2007. As more people become engaged by smartphone apps, cell phone texting while talking becomes more hazardous, especially among multi-tasking users.
Cell phone accidents related to driving are also on the rise. California and other states have banned the use of the devices for calling while driving. Other states have enacted laws prohibiting texting as well. Related accidents and driving statistics are conclusive that cell phone texting distracts drivers.
Cell Phone Texting Among Children
Children walking to school while on using a phone are particularly prone to accidents, according to researchers at the University of Alabama. Another study from the University of Illinois concluded that using your mobile while talking and walking resulted in more accidents than people walking while listening to an iPod or MP3 player. Apparently music, while walking, is less dangerous than only talking.
The increase in phone users, according to one study, may be the culprit, similar to other excessive human behaviors. In other words, increased smoking raises lung cancer cases; more tennis players boost tennis elbow reports and crowded metro areas raise street crime. Some cognitive researchers refer to the phenomenon as “inattentional blindness.” People who phone effects on people who are doing a natural activity–walking–while their brains are thinking and reacting to conversations.
This differs from listening to music while walking which is a non-interactive behavior. Solo walkers aren’t talking with their favorite singer or musician. They’re just listening. So while many people worry about other mobile-related dangers, such as getting cancer, simultaneously walking, talking, texting and surfing with a wireless phone is a greater danger.]]>Brian Prowsclean2:08994G Content Providers Drive Mobile Engagement - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/why-4g-wireless-broadband-content-providers-are-the-future-of-mobile/
Thu, 21 Jan 2010 01:38:51 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=2001<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>4G content providers are the main contributors to the growth of smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices. Carriers that offer 4G broadband are only the conduits that carry the content. Carriers and operators are similar to utility companies delivering electricity, gas and water. Light bulbs only work when electricity causes their filaments to activate. Lawn sprinklers are […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/why-4g-wireless-broadband-content-providers-are-the-future-of-mobile/">4G Content Providers Drive Mobile Engagement</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>4G content providers are the main contributors to the growth of smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices. Carriers that offer 4G broadband are only the conduits that carry the content. Carriers and operators are similar to utility companies delive...
Carriers and operators are similar to utility companies delivering electricity, gas and water.
Light bulbs only work when electricity causes their filaments to activate. Lawn sprinklers are literally “dead in the water” without water. And gas stoves won’t heat anything without natural gas. Similarly, carriers like utilities, connect wireless devices to communication networks. Publishers, who are 4G content providers, drive mobile adoption and engagement.
4G Wireless Multimedia Devices Different than Appliances
On the other hand, your television, radio, mobile phone, mp3 player and Sony Play Station are different. They deliver audio and video programs. These multimedia devices aren’t “appliances” in the same way as a fridge, furnace or dishwasher. Yes, they require electric power to work. But their value is the multimedia content they offer. Imagine turning on your television without a cable, satellite and fiber optic connection or using a smartphone without a mobile Internet connection. No content. No information. They become appliances.
This simple distinction between a washer and a smartphone is not trivial at all. As I write these words, thousands of multimedia providers–broadcasters, cable, media, Internet and other companies–are planning and producing content for the new age of 4G wireless multimedia devices: smartphones, e-readers, tablet computers and digital video players.
Apple is an excellent example of integrating new technologies with multimedia content. Its iPad transforms “old media” through new media channels connected to the Internet.
Steve Jobs, who has proven over-and-over his marketing savvy, is re-packaging and delivering multimedia content obtained from sources in the music and movie industries. But he’s competing with Netflix, Roku’s video streaming service and hundreds of Web content providers.
Imagine a world of wireless, 4G wireless multimedia devices, operating with processors faster than the most powerful computers today connected to wireless home networks, downloading media from powerful servers.
While carriers and other wireless broadband companies race to launch 4G multimedia multimedia services worldwide, those who produce or own multimedia content will profit the most. That’s why wireless carriers, cable and satellite companies are quickly acquiring content providers as each prepares for the new world of 4G wireless multimedia.

]]>Brian Prowsclean2:08100Cell Phone Reception in Buildings & Mass Transit - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/boosting-cell-phone-reception-in-buildings-and-trains-with-scott-goodrich-of-csi/
Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=1956<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p> Improving cell phone reception for voice and data in buildings and mass transit is essential for consumers, businesses and wireless carriers. As more people use their mobile phones at work, home, inside commuter trains and elsewhere, cell phone signal boosters have become critical. Cell Phone Reception Solutions Cellular Specialties (CSI) helps wireless carriers improve […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/boosting-cell-phone-reception-in-buildings-and-trains-with-scott-goodrich-of-csi/">Cell Phone Reception in Buildings & Mass Transit</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p> Improving cell phone reception for voice and data in buildings and mass transit is essential for consumers, businesses and wireless carriers. As more people use their mobile phones at work, home, inside commuter trains and elsewhere,
Improving cell phone reception for voice and data in buildings and mass transit is essential for consumers, businesses and wireless carriers.
As more people use their mobile phones at work, home, inside commuter trains and elsewhere, cell phone signal boosters have become critical.
Cell Phone Reception SolutionsCellular Specialties (CSI) helps wireless carriers improve mobile phone signal strength, voice quality and wireless data quality within buildings and inside moving vehicles.
CSI supplies cell phone extenders, repeaters and other cellular equipment to U.S. wireless carriers (AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, T-Mobile and others) that boost wireless reception for customers.
The CSI Product Division specializes in the development of in-building amplifiers, repeaters and a variety of system components. The company became the preferred repeater vendor for all U.S. wireless carriers after introducing a cell phone repeater that exceeds industry standards boosting mobile phone signal strength.
CSI markets its products primarily within North America, although its cellular solutions are available through resellers in China, as well as Latin and South America.
Visit CSI on Twitter for further information.
Scott Goodrich, who leads the Product Division at Cellular Specialties, is President and co-founder of the cell phone reception company.
A telecommunications industry veteran, Scott has over 11 years experience delivering in-building wireless products and services. He also co-founded Wavelink Communications, a wireless communications company responsible for the early funding of CSI.
Previously, Scott worked in Sales and Marketing for Nextel Communications, Open Development Corporation and Vedas Systems. He’s a graduate of Northeastern University with a BS in Marketing.
In the podcast interview with Brian Prows, Scott discusses cell phone repeaters, boosters and other cellular products for wireless carriers that improve cell phone signal strength for all U.S. carriers.
In particular, Scott points out the differences between voice and data demands on cellular networks affecting cell phone reception.

]]>Brian Prowsclean1:03101WordPress Mobile Plugin Gets You on Mobile Web - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobilizing-and-making-money-with-a-wordpress-blog-or-mobile-website/
Mon, 18 Jan 2010 00:57:33 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=1945<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Have you tried using a WordPress mobile plugin to get your company’s website or blog on the mobile Web fast? Rich Gubby at Wapple in the U.K. has created an easy to use, fully-featured WordPress plugin called “Architect” that mobilizes (re-sizes) your blog. It makes your WordPress blog readable on most mobile phones in just a […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobilizing-and-making-money-with-a-wordpress-blog-or-mobile-website/">WordPress Mobile Plugin Gets You on Mobile Web</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Have you tried using a WordPress mobile plugin to get your company’s website or blog on the mobile Web fast? Rich Gubby at Wapple in the U.K. has created an easy to use, fully-featured WordPress plugin called “Architect” that mobilizes (re-sizes) your ...
Rich Gubby at Wapple in the U.K. has created an easy to use, fully-featured WordPress plugin called “Architect” that mobilizes (re-sizes) your blog. It makes your WordPress blog readable on most mobile phones in just a few minutes.
Many bloggers and website owners don’t realize that 5% or more of blog traffic comes from mobile phone users without even promoting their blogs.
Depending on the popularity of your blog, that could mean hundreds—maybe thousands—of visitors have already seen your blog on their cell phones.
Think how many mobile visitors would read your blog on their mobiles if you used Rich’s WordPress mobile plugin and promoted your new mobile blog.

Rich with Wapple in the U.K. works diligently all the time to make sure the text, graphics and photos on your blog are sized right worldwide for thousands of cell phones with different sized screens. Without mobilizing your blog, it may not display at all on many feature phones and smartphones.
Wapple’s Architect, the WordPress plugin, is free for non-commercial bloggers and other online services have free or low-cost tools for mobile blogs.
WordPress Mobile Plugin or Other Alternatives?
3.5 billion people on Earth own 4.6 billion mobile handsets, while only one billion of us have personal computers. Of the 3.5 billion mobile users, around 800 million (the number keeps growing) can access mobile Internet on their phones.
For many people in developing parts of the world—Asia, Africa, Latin America and elsewhere—their mobile phones are the only way to access the mobile Web and view your blog. So if you’re interested in increasing readership, mobilizing is the only way to make sure cell phone users with Web browsers can see your posts.
Admob and Google Adsense revenues from your blog

With Rich’s WordPress mobile plugin, you can also make money by inserting ads from Google Adsense for Mobile or Admob for Mobile Web Publishers (Google bought Admob in 2009),
Quattro Wireless, purchased by Apple also in 2009, and other mobile ad companies are other alternatives for larger mobile publishers. To insert ad code for these services, however, you need to build a mobile blog or website online using Wapple, MoFuse Premium, Winksite or other firm.
(Listen to my podcast interviews with Naveen Tewari of inMobi, Jeremy Arnon of Quattro and Harald Neidhardt at Smaato about mobile advertising for more insights and advice about advertising on the mobile Web.)
Mobile advertisers and publishers are closely watching Google’s and Apple’s push into mobile advertising. The two giants are aggressively moving into mobile as traditional Internet advertising revenues fall.

Rich Gubby and Wapple
Rich Gubby has worked in the mobile industry for 6 years and has been a developer for 10 years. Rich leads development at Wapple and is responsible for developing and optimizing the WAPl language and a suite of applications that improve and offer online mobile tools to build mobile web sites and blog Internet sites.
Rich loves mobile devices and developing sites that improve user friendliness and utility for customers. He’s written mobile applications for shopping comparison sites, improved the Wikipedia mobile experience and has developed a number of mobile plugins for WordPress and Joomla.
While not working on mobile, he’s trying to break a Guinness World Record. His current game of choice on the Xbox is Modern Warfare 2.
Wapple, located in the U.K.,]]>Brian Prowsclean1:04102Mobile Streaming Audio For Travelers from HearPlanet - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/hearplanet-mobile-audio-streaming-with-steven-echtman/
Wed, 06 Jan 2010 01:53:03 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=1762<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Mobile streaming audio is one of the fastest mobile growth sectors. In an age of video, photos and the Internet, we sometimes forget that humans spend around 70% of their waking hours speaking and listening, according to the International Listening Association. That’s the basis of HearPlanet’s mobile streaming audio service, the largest talking tour audio guide in […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/hearplanet-mobile-audio-streaming-with-steven-echtman/">Mobile Streaming Audio For Travelers from HearPlanet</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Mobile streaming audio is one of the fastest mobile growth sectors. In an age of video, photos and the Internet, we sometimes forget that humans spend around 70% of their waking hours speaking and listening,
In an age of video, photos and the Internet, we sometimes forget that humans spend around 70% of their waking hours speaking and listening, according to the International Listening Association.
That’s the basis of HearPlanet’s mobile streaming audio service, the largest talking tour audio guide in the world with 2.7 million points of information available for downloading.

HearPlanet turns your cell phone into a live Internet streaming guide to the world using text-to-speech technology and digital voice recordings. offer information on millions of destinations that “brings the world to your ears.” Essentially it’s a streaming mp3 player without the music.
With over 500,000 downloads, the company’s iPhone app is a top travel tool.
Mobile Streaming Audio to iPhone and Other Devices
HearPlanet is designed to accommodate media of all types on locations and exhibits anywhere in the world. Audio is currently delivered instantly to iPhone users. As the company expands, HearPlanet will target other personal mobile devices– additional smart phones, navigation devices, tablet computers and netbooks that enhance sightseeing, museum and landmark visits.
Apple featured HearPlanet and its mobile streaming audio service in iPhone ads and full-page spreads published in USA Today, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.Steven Echtman
Founder and CEO of HearPlanet, Steve is not only an entrepreneur. He’s also an Internet developer, media producer and marketing professional.
Previously, he founded Passinglane, a media production and Internet development company. Clients included AIG, Motorola, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Microsoft, Grey Advertising, K-Swiss, Disney, AOL and others. Prior to Passinglane, he produced interactive media broadcasts at Grey Advertising.
Echtman is also a Board member of Challenge Day, a non-profit youth violence prevention program that has been featured on Oprah and will be the centerpiece of an upcoming series on MTV.
Steven Echtman HearPlanet Podcast
In this podcast interview with Brian Prows, HearPlanet’s founder discusses his vision of connecting content providers with listeners who want mobile streaming audio on the go. Steven also discusses why leadership in a start-up environment is critical to bringing people together by sharing the vision and inspiring employees.
HearPlanet launched using content from Wikipedia, a novel text-to-speech process and the iPhone. During the interview, Steve reveals his dream of encouraging other developers to use HearPlanet’s API to design new services for other mobile devices, such as smart phones, netbooks and tablet computers. The company is also seeking additional content partners who need distribution channels for their text, audio or multimedia products.
He also talks about how HearPlanet’s mobile streaming audio service delivers many “points of view” about “points of interest,” alerting listeners to historical and travel site information. Listeners choose may listen from 30 seconds to 20 minutes. Surrounding POI content is sorted by popularity and distance, but app users are free to explore additional information that interests them.
While some might argue that HearPlanet replaces travel books and guides, the company is using the mobile channel to deliver on-demand information in a “non-linear” way. Unlike a guided tour, listeners may choose content in any order from any place. This enables anyone connected to the service to learn about historical landmarks, cities, bridges, memorials and other sites.
To monetize the business, HearPlanet intends to include audio mobile banner ads in the future, which will display products and services as value ads to its current mobile streaming audio offering.
]]>Brian Prowsclean1:03103Senior Health Care Medical Alert Systems Save Lives (MyHalo) - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/saving-mom-myhalo-wireless-health-monitoring-and-alert-system/
Fri, 01 Jan 2010 02:50:45 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=1754<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Senior health care is getting a boost with medical alert monitors are critical to improving health care among the elderly while assuring caregivers that seniors are safe. The British Medical Journal estimates that seniors using personal emergency response systems fail to push the button 80% of the time. 40% of the elderly fall each year, […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/saving-mom-myhalo-wireless-health-monitoring-and-alert-system/">Senior Health Care Medical Alert Systems Save Lives (MyHalo)</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Senior health care is getting a boost with medical alert monitors are critical to improving health care among the elderly while assuring caregivers that seniors are safe. The British Medical Journal estimates that seniors using personal emergency respo...
The British Medical Journal estimates that seniors using personal emergency response systems fail to push the button 80% of the time. 40% of the elderly fall each year, representing 70% of senior deaths. This can happen even in a living facility.
Senior Health Care Firm Leads the Way
According to Chris Otto of Halo Monitoring, a personal health and monitoring company, this adds $19 billion a year to U.S. health care costs. Halo is an excellent example of the fast growing wireless health care industry.
Despite seniors’ use of medical alert bracelets, necklaces and other medical alert devices, more robust systems, such as the myHalo health monitoring system, not only improves senior health care monitoring but, in the long term, may lead to earlier discovery of chronic conditions that affect senior health as people age.
Halo Monitoring and Senior Health Care
A major challenge to caregivers of seniors—frequently sons and daughters of aging parents—is staying in touch with the elderly who want to live at home rather than in a professional facility. However, caregivers with busy lives find it challenging to monitor loved ones who frequently live alone. Companies like Halo Monitoring may provide a solution.
myHalo, unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in early 2009, includes a wireless chest strap, other body monitoring devices and a wireless gateway to transmit senior health information to the company’s secure servers. Text messages or emails are then sent to caregivers and emergency medical teams who can take action if a senior falls, fails to arise from bed in the morning or has an acute medical emergency.
myHalo provides automatic transmission of body temperature, pulse rate, sleep patterns, level of activity and other medical information to mobile phone users. The iPhone application provides easy access to Halo’s website that maintains a health database on each senior for viewing by sons, daughters and other caregivers.
The system helps users better manage their health needs from home, encouraging independent living for the elderly while giving peace of mind to busy sons and daughters who may live thousands of miles away from parents.
Podcast Interview with Chris Otto at Halo Monitoring
In the podcast interview with Brian Prows, Chris Otto describes how myHalo is superior to other senior health medical alert monitoring systems. Halo’s recent partnership with Microsoft’s HealthVault Service, along with an iPhone application that provides constant health information, keep caregivers aware of medical alerts requiring attention.
Chris also describes Halo Monitoring’s strong interest in senior mobility (30% of seniors fall outside their homes), expanding Halo’s medical alert information to the Blackberry and other mobile phones and adding new Halo senior health services leading to better detection of medical conditions.
Medical alert devices like myHalo also increase user compliance and medical information security when monitoring senior health. Listen as Chris Otto describes how Halo Monitoring supplies health care solutions to seniors who want to live and thrive independently.
Halo Monitoring
Halo Monitoring is a health technology company focused on improving the quality of life for aging seniors and their caregivers. Halo’s flagship product, myHalo, is an advanced personal health monitoring and alert system.
Unlike traditional PERS (personal emergency response systems)–devices that require seniors to manually press a “panic button”–myHalo automatically detects ser...]]>Brian Prowsclean1:01104Mobile Video Streaming Services for History & Travel - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-streaming-videos-for-history-travel-put-vodomodo-in-your-pocket/
Wed, 30 Dec 2009 01:30:43 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=1747<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Mobile video streaming services for home and mobile consumers now dominate the Internet. Some experts estimate that within five years 90% of all Internet content will be video. Over 120 million people in the U.S. make 300 million trips each year to monuments, museums and other popular locations. And mobile phones offer exciting ways to learn […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-streaming-videos-for-history-travel-put-vodomodo-in-your-pocket/">Mobile Video Streaming Services for History & Travel</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Mobile video streaming services for home and mobile consumers now dominate the Internet. Some experts estimate that within five years 90% of all Internet content will be video. Over 120 million people in the U.S.
When arriving at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington monument, Empire State Building and other well-known landmarks, wouldn’t it be great if travelers could view five minute streaming videos on their phones about each site’s history?VodoModo, a start-up video streaming service, delivers rich-media content to mobile phone users on location.
The five minute mobile mp4 videos, according to Steve Radlinger, Founder & CEO, play on virtually any mobile device, whether connected to a 2G or 3G carrier network. Streaming video to-mobile phones meets the needs of travelers seeking travel planning and on-site information about historical landmarks.
The service turns a mobile phone into a contextual and multimedia rich guidebook to the world. VM started in 2008 and spent a year in stealth mode while creating the content and building a delivery platform that produces contextually-rich streaming videos.
Its mission is to make travelers’ experiences more fun, easier and memorable. Goals include delivering media rich streaming videos on over 270 historical sites in the U.S and Europe within a year to over 500,000 travelers.
The company targets consumers 29-50, reflecting the changing demographics of smartphone users in the U.S. Consumer demand for streaming media is rapidly increasing as more people access the wireless Internet for information and entertainment. VodoModo provides mp3 files for travelers who prefer audio only.
Steve Radlinger has founded or led start-up companies since 1994. He was CMO for Milwaukee-based BoldAir in 2005-2006 and Madison-based ThinkPen from 2000 to 2004 whose patented technology captures handwritten information on plain paper. Steve also launched ApartmentRenting in 1994 growing its service base to 100 nationwide colleges.
Previously, he worked in management at Hughes Aircraft and United Parcel Service. He has an MS in Organizational Development and enjoys sports, long distance bicycling and promoting student entrepreneurship.
In the podcast interview, Brian Prows talks with Steve about VodoModo’s patent-pending web-based tool for collaborative mobile phone streaming videos. Content for the movies comes from public domain photos, the company’s own photographers and image licensing.
VodoModo is rapidly developing streaming videos of historic landmarks for its customers. Content supplements but doesn’t necessarily replace guided tours and personal visits to national and state sites.
Subscribers to VM’s “What’s Nearby” service can access information on their phones about restaurants, bars, hotels, airlines and more. Using GPS or triangulation with cell phone towers, the service automatically pinpoints user locations to offer appropriate suggestions for adjacent establishments. Mobile streaming videos that review places to eat or stay for the night are also in the making.
Subscribers are in “spending mode” at each site which helps attract local advertisers and national brands to location-based services.
The company’s business plan includes subscription revenue ($9.99 for each 15 mobile streaming videos), online advertising, organic online search, social media, point-of-location promotions and referrals, as well as advertising by convention and travel bureaus, hospitality and travel companies.
Future plans include a text messaging service for subscribers based on individual interests and traveler loc...]]>Brian Prowsclean1:05105GetJar Mobile Apps with Patrick Mork - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/getjar-mobile-applications-and-developers-a-conversation-with-patrick-mork/
Sun, 13 Dec 2009 00:09:20 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=1628<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Downloaded any GetJar mobile apps lately? Running a successful online mobile applications store requires a close relationship with mobile application developers, mobile phone users, and handset manufacturers. Apple launched its app store a year after the iPhone release while major handset manufacturers—Nokia, RIM and Palm—created mobile apps later to meet the growing consumer demand for mobile […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/getjar-mobile-applications-and-developers-a-conversation-with-patrick-mork/">GetJar Mobile Apps with Patrick Mork</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Downloaded any GetJar mobile apps lately? Running a successful online mobile applications store requires a close relationship with mobile application developers, mobile phone users, and handset manufacturers.
Downloaded any GetJar mobile apps lately? Running a successful online mobile applications store requires a close relationship with mobile application developers, mobile phone users, and handset manufacturers.
Apple launched its app store a year after the iPhone release while major handset manufacturers—Nokia, RIM and Palm—created mobile apps later to meet the growing consumer demand for mobile games, utilities, business and other mobile applications.
But a small company called GetJar with offices in San Mateo, CA, London and Lithuania launched in 2005, two years ahead of Apple, is bursting at the seams.
The company is the world’s largest independent mobile app store with over a half billion mobile downloads to date. Started in 2004 by application developers, it now offers more than 58,000 mobile applications running on 1,822 mobile handsets and has downloaded mobile apps 700 million times to consumers in 200 countries.
In October 2009 alone, the app firm offered 55 million downloads and has a roster of over 305,000 application developers who bid for downloads on the site.In June of 2009, GetJar was named the winner of the 2009 Meffy Award for Best Direct to Consumer Service.Backed by marquee investors Accel Partners, the mobile software distributor also works with a select number of partners including Sony Ericsson, Sprint, Opera, Vodafone, 3UK and Virgin Mobile.
Patrick Mork and Getjar
Patrick Mork joined GetJar Mobile in 2008 as VP of marketing and member of the executive team. His primary role is to develop the company’s overall marketing, branding, content and communications strategy. Patrick has been in the mobile content space since 2004 first at mobile games publisher I-play then later at Glu mobile.
Prior to joining GetJar, he was Marketing Director in Europe at Glu where he built up the company’s marketing team and was a key part of the European management team that helped take the company public on NASDAQ in March 2007.
With 15 years of marketing experience at leading companies such as PepsiCo and Diamondcluster, Mork has worked in large multinationals and venture-backed start-ups in marketing, sales and general management. Patrick holds an MBA from INSEAD and a BS from Georgetown University.
GetJar Mobile Apps Podcast: Apps for Business and Consumers

In this podcast interview with Brian Prows, Patrick candidly shares his knowledge and views on its mobile applications and competitors’ products, working with app developers, what makes a successful app, how viral marketing has attracted millions of mobile users to his website and the future of mobile application stores on the Internet. Topics include:

* Free mobile apps to download service and its business model
* How viral marketing has generated millions of customers throughout the world
* What characteristics of mobile applications increase their popularity
* Why mobile application developers need to promote and market their applications to achieve success
* Consolidation of app stores in the future as consumers increasingly expect greater functionality and applications from handset manufacturers
* Comments on an article written by Mickey Khan of Mobile Marketer about mobile application distribution
* Why mobile must be measured in new ways (“cost of engagement”)
* The need for fewer, but better, mobile operating systems

If you’re interested in the world of mobile applications, development and distribution, you’ll enjoy this fascinating conversation about Getjar mobile apps.]]>Brian Prowsclean1:02106Patent Infringement Litigation Growing with Smartphones - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/apple-vs-nokia-the-future-of-technology-patent-lawsuits/
Sat, 12 Dec 2009 19:32:04 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=1622<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Patent infringement litigation in the mobile smartphone market continues growing. Microsoft sued Motorola over everything from synchronizing email to handset power control. Apple sued Nokia and HTC . Then Kodak sues Apple! Most patent litigation cases are settled out of court, acting as threats against mobile handset makers. But the advent of mobile smartphone litigation is […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/apple-vs-nokia-the-future-of-technology-patent-lawsuits/">Patent Infringement Litigation Growing with Smartphones</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Patent infringement litigation in the mobile smartphone market continues growing. Microsoft sued Motorola over everything from synchronizing email to handset power control. Apple sued Nokia and HTC . Then Kodak sues Apple!
Patent infringement litigation in the mobile smartphone market continues growing. Microsoft sued Motorola over everything from synchronizing email to handset power control. Apple sued Nokia and HTC . Then Kodak sues Apple!
Most patent litigation cases are settled out of court, acting as threats against mobile handset makers. But the advent of mobile smartphone litigation is growing measurably as manufacturers fight for market share.
In October, 2009, Nokia sued Apple, claiming Apple used 10 of Nokia’s patents related to Wi-Fi, phone calls and other Nokia cell phone features.
Then Apple sued Nokia for copying the iPhone’s “pattern and color abstraction in a graphical user interface,” phone connections to computers, touch screen menus, teleconferencing and power conservation.
According to the Associated Press, counter patent infringement suits are common in litigation and usually result in cross-licensing agreements rather than long-term, cat-and-dog fights in the courts. This situation is very different than any other type of lawsuit.
Patent Infringement Litigation History
Patents and trademarks are filed to protect inventors from others profiting from ideas turned into products or services. Patents apply to inventions while trademarks refer to company names, logos, words and images that are part of “brands,” such as the word “Coke” or Google’s logo.
You can’t patent an idea, only a design or physical object, like an car or a toaster, whether it’s eventually manufactured or not. Many never turn into marketable products.
While Alexander Graham Bell is usually considered the inventor of the telephone, numerous inventors, since 1849, leading to the modern telephone created prototypes. Some were patented but many were not. (See Wikipedia’s “Timeline of the Telephone“.)
The history of the telephone–especially cell phones–is filled with patent litigation. Googling “cell phone patent cases” results in over four million listings.
From Black Rotary Phones to Modern Mobile Smartphones
When home telephones were simpler–fewer parts and models–and AT&T (“Ma Bell”) owned the U.S. telephone system, patent infringement lawsuits were few. Later, after the invention of the modern cell phone in the early 1980’s, patent claims began growing. You might wonder what would happen if the cell phone were invented today.
In 2007, the same year the iPhone was released, AT&T sued Vonage, the voIP company, after Verizon Wireless won a court case against Vonage in March of that year.
While the Vonage case involved everything from voice mail to packet technologies, the litigation pales by comparison to Apple’s claims against smartphone competitors. In these, Apple believes that competitors have copied the iPhone’s “look and feel” as well as internal component design.
Cell Phone Telephony Standards
Standards for Wi-Fi, USB computer connections and cell phone calls are established and controlled by worldwide industry associations, mobile carriers and telecommunications regulatory bodies, such as the FCC in the U.S.
Wi-Fi, for example,]]>Brian Prowsclean2:08107Small Business Mobile Marketing with Kim Dushinski - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/practical-mobile-marketing-advice-for-smbs-with-kim-dushinski/
Fri, 11 Dec 2009 02:47:02 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=1601<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>While small business mobile marketing is growing, large brands have dominated mobile marketing campaigns. Brands and agencies have demonstrated the power of adding mobile phone SMS marketing as part of their overall marketing mix to increase awareness. Increasing numbers of small business are launching mobile campaigns to improve campaign results among consumers who carry their […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/practical-mobile-marketing-advice-for-smbs-with-kim-dushinski/">Small Business Mobile Marketing with Kim Dushinski</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>While small business mobile marketing is growing, large brands have dominated mobile marketing campaigns. Brands and agencies have demonstrated the power of adding mobile phone SMS marketing as part of their overall marketing mix to increase awareness....
While small business mobile marketing is growing, large brands have dominated mobile marketing campaigns. Brands and agencies have demonstrated the power of adding mobile phone SMS marketing as part of their overall marketing mix to increase awareness.
Increasing numbers of small business are launching mobile campaigns to improve campaign results among consumers who carry their mobile phones with them 24/7. Michael Becker calls this the “untethered engagement” unique to mobile phones.
Mobile marketers and advertisers are learning how to better target specific consumer demographics, improve brand recognition, build better lists that convert and boost direct response to marketing campaigns using SMS mobile marketing
Kim Dushinski with Mobile Marketing Profits, a marketing and training consulting firm, helps small businesses and entrepreneurs effectively use the mobile channel, text advertising, email and mobile websites as part of multi-channel marketing programs.
A successful entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in sales and marketing, Kim’s best-selling “The Mobile Marketing Handbook: A Step by Step Guide to Creating Dynamic Mobile Marketing Campaigns” is widely regarded as essential reading for marketers.
Kim is also one of the authors of the upcoming book “Social Media Superstars” edited by Mitch Meyerson. She co-hosts the Mobile Presence radio show on WebmasterRadio.fm and was recently named one of the “Mobile Women to Watch 2010” by Mobile Marketer, an online publication about mobile marketing, media, and commerce.
Small Business Mobile Marketing Podcast Interview

In her interview with Brian Prows, Kim Dushinski discusses five steps to create dynamic SMS campaigns, engage mobile phone users, easily and inexpensively build mobile websites and better align business marketing goals with consumer expectations.
Taking an interactive marketing approach, Kim describes two successful mobile campaigns—one for a small business restaurant in New Hampshire that used mobile coupons to increase traffic. She also discusses a Pizza Hut campaign that achieved a 54% double opt-in rate.
Kim also believes that mobile devices—such as Amazon’s Kindle—are possible new channels for successful mobile launches and how marketers can better allocate their marketing budgets to increase customer retention and increase sales.
Kim Dushinski is clearly an evangelist, yet a practical marketer, who understands the advantages and limitations of the field.
More about Kim

Mobile Marketing ProfitsTwitterFacebookMobile Women to Watch 2010 (Mobile Marketer)
&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;]]>Brian Prowsclean1:04108Mobile MMS Video Enhances Marketing and Advertising - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/beyond-sms-mobile-mms-video-marketing-with-mogreets-jay-goss/
Tue, 08 Dec 2009 06:45:49 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=1587<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Mobile MMS video marketing delivered through SMS texting is growing in the United States. Mobile users typically open, read and share SMS text messages within a few minutes of receipt, making SMS one of the most effective mobile channels to reach cell phone users. Mobile MMS videos increase user interest and boost direct response rates offering […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/beyond-sms-mobile-mms-video-marketing-with-mogreets-jay-goss/">Mobile MMS Video Enhances Marketing and Advertising</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Mobile MMS video marketing delivered through SMS texting is growing in the United States. Mobile users typically open, read and share SMS text messages within a few minutes of receipt, making SMS one of the most effective mobile channels to reach cell...
Mobile MMS videos increase user interest and boost direct response rates offering marketers and advertisers a viable mobile channel to deliver richer media content.
Since the release of the iPhone and other smartphones with high-resolution displays, mobile marketing and advertising firms, such as Crisp Wireless, have developed media-rich advertising. However, SMS text messaging still dominates.
Mogreet Mobile MMS Video MarketingMogreet, a company with headquarters in Venice, California, bridged the gap in the text ad market by combining SMS and short mobile MMS videos viewable on most phones and supported by U.S. carriers.
The company claims it’s the first company to offer mobile MMS videos across all cell phone carriers in the United States and will offer its service in Canada as well.
Founded in 2006, the company raised $7 million in venture capital and built a platform capable of delivering SMS and MMS video messages to over 200 million mobile phones in the United States.
(As of mid-2009, there were 277 million mobile phones in the United States or 89% of the total population. 246 million people in the U.S. have at least one mobile phone.)
In 2007-2008, the company started its mobile MMS video greeting messaging service, using over 3,000 videos acquired through its partnerships with Paramount, Fox Mobile Entertainment, and other movie companies. Mogreet compresses and then transmits MMS clips within text messages. Mobile phone users can immediately view the videos.
After first focusing on consumers in 2007-2008, the company re-focused its business and now targets marketers who want more compelling, effective mobile ads than 160 character SMS messages. Mobile MMS videos, transmitted via SMS , produce higher click-through rates according to the firm.
James Citron, CEO, commented at Ad-Tech in New York in 2009:
Mobile Rich Media Growing
“Rich media has raised the standard for advertising online and in mobile. Marketers want and are starting to expect the ability to deliver engaging, targeted and interactive experiences with their consumers across all platforms.”
The company offers complete end-to-end campaign management, including video production, compression, ad delivery and campaign analytics through its Campaign Manager. Brands and advertisers can view online, real-time campaign progress and fine-tune campaigns to maximize ROI.
Successful mobile MMS clients and campaigns include Reebok that achieved a 50% CTR, Summit Entertainment, the owner of “Twilight, ” running a movie trailer promotion, a hotel chain offering mobile coupons to guests redeemable for drinks and a successful Valentine’s day promotion.
Jay Goss and the Podcast

Goss, Mogreet’s SVP of Sales and Marketing, has over twenty years experience focusing on digital technology and innovation. As COO for Numedeon, Goss was responsible for introducing Whyville, a leading edu-tainment virtual world for tweens and teens to Madison Avenue.
Among the brands that Jay handled were Toyota, Disney, Scholastic, Fox Walden Media and Virgin Records. Jay also launched new businesses within Fortune 500 and Global 2000 organizations, including Disney, Reed Elsevier and UCLA.
]]>Brian Prowsclean1:04109Mobile Augmented Reality Contact Lenses Create New World - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/future-mobile-technology-contact-lenses-create-augmented-reality/
Fri, 27 Nov 2009 05:30:46 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=1577<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Mobile augmented reality contact lenses may do more that improve your sight. Someday they could replace your mobile phone and let you communicate visually anywhere in the world, improve your health and make virtual reality real. Perhaps your ophthalmologist could perform Lasik surgery, burning a wireless circuit into your cornea? MobiHealthNews’ Brian Dolan, who was […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/future-mobile-technology-contact-lenses-create-augmented-reality/">Mobile Augmented Reality Contact Lenses Create New World</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Mobile augmented reality contact lenses may do more that improve your sight. Someday they could replace your mobile phone and let you communicate visually anywhere in the world, improve your health and make virtual reality real.
Mobile augmented reality contact lenses may do more that improve your sight. Someday they could replace your mobile phone and let you communicate visually anywhere in the world, improve your health and make virtual reality real. Perhaps your ophthalmologist could perform Lasik surgery, burning a wireless circuit into your cornea?
MobiHealthNews’ Brian Dolan, who was interviewed recently on MobileBeyond, just wrote an amazing article called “Contact Lens: Future Platform for mHealth.”
Mobile Augmented Reality Hits Contact Lens Technology
Babak Parviz at the University of Washington in Seattle is working on a contact lens technology that could revolutionize wireless health monitoring and mobile applications for your iPhone. But don’t stop there…
Babak Parviz’ lenses become biosensors that monitor internal body functions. While the prototype version of the lens is powered by radio waves beaming electricity to a loop antenna embedded in the contact lens, Parviz thinks a mobile phone or solar cells (wireless electricity) could generate power for the lenses. Mobile augmented reality could be just around the corner.
Here’s a video explaining the technology:

Parviz believes his contact lens development platform could emulate the iPhone’s on a smaller scale. Each lens at present only uses one LED. But he thinks with multiple LED’s embedded in the lens, application developers could write wireless monitoring “apps,” like the iPhone model, expanding the lens’ wireless health monitoring capabilities. Doctors, for example, could monitor their patient’s vital signs or blood sugar levels or blood pressuree remotely.
HUD’s (Heads-Up Displays) and Augmented Reality
Parviz’ vision may come from science fiction writer and mathematician Vernor Vinge, who imagines computers in clothing and locational sensors placed elsewhere–a world of text and virtual objects overlaying our view of reality. Perhaps a pair of virtual reality goggles for Christmas? Or an augmented reality app for your next birthday present?
HUD’s or heads-up displays, used by fighter and space shuttle pilots, provide a glimpse into a world where our vision is augmented by sensory feedback.
Here’s an augmented reality video of an F16 pilot’s view of reality in an actual jet flight. (He gets quite a work-out as you can tell from his heavy breathing. Tough job flying jets these days.)

Mobile Augmented Reality Contact Lenses of the Future
Imagine in the not-too-distant future…
You’re wearing your iCon wireless lenses which are connected to your mobile carrier. Using augmented reality software embedded in the lenses, you make a video call to your friend in Australia by visualizing her in your brain. Your iCon and carrier initiate the call and connect you to your friend who’s also wearing an iCon. Both of you see and hear each other as if you were sitting next to each other in 3D virtual reality.
Driving in your car,]]>Brian Prowsclean2:08110Mobile Phone Growth Exploding in Developing Nations - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-phone-growth-exploding-in-developing-nations/
Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:44:26 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=1468<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Mobile phone growth is exploding in developing nations and continents worldwide. In fact, Africa has one of the largest growth rates in voice, mobile Web and mobile commerce channels. For those who haven’t read the excellent series of six articles on telecommunications in emerging markets (The Economist, 9/26/09), I highly recommend you do. The articles […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-phone-growth-exploding-in-developing-nations/">Mobile Phone Growth Exploding in Developing Nations</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Mobile phone growth is exploding in developing nations and continents worldwide. In fact, Africa has one of the largest growth rates in voice, mobile Web and mobile commerce channels. For those who haven’t read the excellent series of six articles on t...
Mobile phone growth is exploding in developing nations and continents worldwide. In fact, Africa has one of the largest growth rates in voice, mobile Web and mobile commerce channels.
For those who haven’t read the excellent series of six articles on telecommunications in emerging markets (The Economist, 9/26/09), I highly recommend you do.
The articles review the economic impact of low-cost mobile handsets for commerce, pre-paid vs. post-paid mobile services, new data services that boost business, China’s emergence in wireless telecommunications services and handset manufacturing, mobile phones for financial transactions and Internet access as the voice markets become saturated.
The six articles provide a broad perspective on wireless growth within the developing world. The striking disparity between mobile phone growth in developed and developing nations is humbling. While mobile users in the United States, Europe and Asia enjoy the benefits of affordable voice and data services, most of the rest of the world is only beginning to prosper from voice services.
Mobile Phone Growth Accelerating Developing Country Growth
In Africa, one woman’s life improved with a single mobile phone. She micro-financed a loan to pay for the phone and small antenna. Earning a little amount of money from each phone call, she was able to build a sustainable business by buying a second phone.
As handsets dropped in price, others in her village bought their own phones, paying more for phone service than for water, energy and other necessities. People in developing nations have discovered that mobile phone growth accelerates economic prosperity.

Cell Phones Growing Rapidly Worldwide

* “…adding 10 mobile phones per person in a typical developing country boosts growth in GDP per person by 0.8 percentage points.”

* “In 2000 the developing countries accounted for around one-quarter of the world’s 700m or so mobile phones. By the beginning of 2009 their share grew to three-quarters of total wireless phones numbering 4 billion…” In 2011 5.5 billion people on Earth have mobile phones.

* Biometric monitoring of patients with heart and other health conditions
* CardioNet, a wireless health company that manufactures a take-home heart monitor for better health information management
* Medical applications available for the iPhone and other smartphones
* Patient information programs delivered via mobile phones
* Consumer interest in using mobile technology to monitor medical conditions and ensure privacy
* New consumer-focused medical models
* The economic necessity to control costs with innovative technologies
* Medical sensors that efficiently deliver medical information to providers once patients are released from hospitals
* Support by large providers, such as Kaiser and the Mayo Clinic, in the development of health information tools
* Improving data delivery by physicians and other caregivers, making it easier to monitor and share patient records
* Wireless medical systems that lower monitoring costs

In this informative podcast interview, learn how mobile wireless health care is improving patient health outcomes by keeping physicians and consumers better informed.MobiHealthNews Background
Prior to founding the MHN with business partner Joe Maillie, Brian Dolan was a senior analyst with the the Yankee Group, a research firm, where he led program development for the company’s Mobile Internet World event and helped craft the company’s publication development.
Dolan started his career in 2005 as editor of FierceWireless, a leading online publication.]]>Brian Prowsclean1:02113Mobile Eye Strain Plagues Phone Users – Helpful Tips for Happy Eyes - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/eye-fatigue-and-tired-eyes-plague-mobile-phone-users/
Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:47:32 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=8919<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Eye fatigue, caused by mobile eye strain, plagues many mobile device users. Having a hard time deciding whether that’s an “l” or “i” on your phone, computer or e-reader? You may suffer from eye strain, tired eyes and or computer vision syndrome. Mobile Devices Hard on Your Eyes As you continue staring at mobile devices, you […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/eye-fatigue-and-tired-eyes-plague-mobile-phone-users/">Mobile Eye Strain Plagues Phone Users – Helpful Tips for Happy Eyes</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Eye fatigue, caused by mobile eye strain, plagues many mobile device users. Having a hard time deciding whether that’s an “l” or “i” on your phone, computer or e-reader? You may suffer from eye strain, tired eyes and or computer vision syndrome.
Eye fatigue, caused by mobile eye strain, plagues many mobile device users.
Having a hard time deciding whether that’s an “l” or “i” on your phone, computer or e-reader? You may suffer from eye strain, tired eyes and or computer vision syndrome.
Mobile Devices Hard on Your Eyes
As you continue staring at mobile devices, you increase mobile eye strain severity. Young people have less eye fatigue than their elders when viewing electronic screens. An 18-year old’s lenses in the eye flex more than people in their 40’s and 50’s. 6 point type look sharper to a young person than someone older. And as our eyes age small screen fonts cause greater eye strain, dry eyes, and even migraines.
Some years ago, I had Lasik surgery with monovision correction (my right eye for reading, my left for distance). Then I could more easily read tiny type in newspapers. As I’ve aged, eye fatigue has increased because my eyes don’t focus as well.
Font Size Adjustments Reduce Mobile Eye Strain
Fortunately, most smartphones, like my iPhone, let you adjust font sizes. But most of us now use more mobile devices with tiny screens for greater lengths of time. So larger fonts aren’t the only answer for mobile eye strain.
Using your Voice to Control You Phone
As I wrote in a futuristic post “A Day in the Life of a 4G Wireless Mobile Phone Guy,” phone voice technology in the future advances considerably. “Charlene,” the phone guy’s companion, is a smartphone that communicates with him by voice, sparing the eyes.
Charlene not only understands simple voice commands. She interprets his intentions and makes suggestions based on her previous communications with him–all done without him squinting at a tiny phone screen. This reduces eye strain symptoms like fatigue.
Other Treatments for Tired Eyes
They’re a few products and herbal remedies like basil and cotton balls soaked in witch hazel that may help people experiencing tired eyes, fatigue, floaters and other eye problems.
Maybe you’d like a pair of Japanese-made “Wink Glasses,” intended for heavy video-gamers and book readers who fail to blink. For a mere $430, you get glasses with built-in sensors. Fail to blink for longer than five seconds and the lens in front of the offending eye fogs up until you comply.
By the way, I typed this blog post using 18 point type in a text editor. WordPress’ tiny fonts worsen my vision.]]>Brian Prowsclean2:08114Nimbuzz New Generation Mobile Service - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/nimbuzz-new-generation-mobile-service-a-chat-with-tobias-kemper/
Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:25:37 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=1308<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p> Nimbuzz, a worldwide new generation mobile service and mobile community receives over 670,000 Google searches a month. It’s one of the fastest growing social media sites around the world. “Free Nimbuzz” is a popular search term as well as “download nimbuzz mobile.” But, then, Tobias Kemper, who manages Nimbuzz USA knows how quickly Nimbuzz chat, […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/nimbuzz-new-generation-mobile-service-a-chat-with-tobias-kemper/">Nimbuzz New Generation Mobile Service</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p> Nimbuzz, a worldwide new generation mobile service and mobile community receives over 670,000 Google searches a month. It’s one of the fastest growing social media sites around the world. “Free Nimbuzz” is a popular search term as well as “downlo...

Nimbuzz, a worldwide new generation mobile service and mobile community receives over 670,000 Google searches a month. It’s one of the fastest growing social media sites around the world. “Free Nimbuzz” is a popular search term as well as “download nimbuzz mobile.”
But, then, Tobias Kemper, who manages Nimbuzz USA knows how quickly Nimbuzz chat, messenger and itsNimBuzzOut low-cost VoIP service, not to mention instant messaging, is growing. It’s staggering.
Tobias is responsible for marketing, business development and overall promotion for a mobile service growing at 40,000 members a month.
With headquarters in Holland (nine hours away from Silicon Valley), Tobias’ days start early and end late. Catch him on Twitter.
Now in over 200 countries with 10 million members, Nimbuzz works closely with social giants Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Yahoo, MySpace in the U.S. plus GaduGadu, Hyves, StudiVZ, Giovani and others overseas. The sun never sets on Nimbuzz.
Similar to MXit in South Africa, Nimbuzz has created a mobile social networking service enabling people to enjoy free & low cost mobile phone calls, free instant messaging, social networking and other rich communication features, using the Internet capabilities of their mobile device.
Whether you own an iPhone, BlackBerry, other smartphone or feature phone, you’ll find the Nimbuzz mobile service useful, dynamic and growing. Android mobile phone users can now use most of Nimbuzz’ mobile services. The service is also available on PC’s and Mac’s.
The brainchild of Dutch entrepreneur & CEO, Evert Jaap Lugt, Nimbuzz took two years to develop, officially launched in May 2008 (August, 2009 in the U.S.) and has won numerous awards, most recently its text chat service.
Established in Rotterdam, with offices in San Francisco, London, Argentina, Brazil & India, Nimbuzz employs more than 100 people.
The company pioneered mobile Internet technology to redefine the way people communicate, combining benefits of traditional telecommunication services with a range of real-time communications and social networking features.
At the heart of Nimbuzz is its live Contact list – an always-on, hyper-connected and continuously changing dynamic address book, showing at a glance who’s online, offline, busy or away, their status messages, avatar pictures and social community activity.
Social networks & communities supported by Nimbuzz include Skype®, Facebook®, MSN® Messenger, GoogleTalkTM, Twitter, Yahoo!TM, AIM®, MySpace, ICQ®, GaduGadu, Hyves, Studi VZ, Giovani and others.
Read more about the service on the Nimbuzz blog.
Tobias Kemper
Tobias Kemper, Vice President at Nimbuzz USA here in Silicon Valley, is responsible for marketing, communications and business development. Previously, Tobias managed global communications and social media development for the company.
Before joining the social networking company, Tobias handled marketing strategy and brand consulting for brands such as Palm, Discovery Networks, Conde Nast, Gillette, Dwell and Timbuk2 .
He has a Marketing degree from the University of San Francisco and has represented Nimbuzz as a speaker at various events, panels and industry round tables.
]]>Brian Prowsclean2:11115African Cell Phones and Mobile Internet Boost Economy - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/saving-bananas-in-uganda-with-mobile-phones/
Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:46:24 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=1213<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>African cell phones, along with the mobile Internet, are helping the continents’ countries, like Uganda, reduce crop losses and improve commerce. Africa, the largest continent on Earth, is now the fastest growing mobile phone market in the world. The New York Times indicates that Uganda loses $70 million to $200 million USD each year due […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/saving-bananas-in-uganda-with-mobile-phones/">African Cell Phones and Mobile Internet Boost Economy</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>African cell phones, along with the mobile Internet, are helping the continents’ countries, like Uganda, reduce crop losses and improve commerce. Africa, the largest continent on Earth, is now the fastest growing mobile phone market in the world.
African cell phones, along with the mobile Internet, are helping the continents’ countries, like Uganda, reduce crop losses and improve commerce.
Africa, the largest continent on Earth, is now the fastest growing mobile phone market in the world.
The New York Times indicates that Uganda loses $70 million to $200 million USD each year due to banana crop diseases. Bananas represent 40% of Uganda’s agriculture and feed 12 million people in only one African country.
African Cell Phones Enable Access to the Mobile Internet for Commerce
Using prepaid cell phones, Ugandans transfer money, get soccer game scores, conduct mobile commerce and remotely turn on water wells.
One Ugandan farmer, quoted in the Times article, said: “’We never had any idea about getting information with the phone…It was a mystery. Now our mind is wide open.’”
As of June, 2009, only 2.5 million Ugandans had access to the Internet, while the highest number of African Internet users are in Egypt, Nigeria, Morocco and South Africa.
These figures do not represent access to the mobile Internet. However, since the number of personal computers is so low on the African continent, due to the lack of telecommunications infrastructure, mobile phones offer the only realistic solution for Web access in Africa. (For more Internet statistics by country, see this Internet usage report.)
According to the Guardian:
“Mobile usage is ballooning across the continent and the African mobile phone market – at more than 400 million subscribers – is now larger than in North America. Some countries, such as South Africa, have ‘mobile penetration levels’ – the number of handsets compared with size of population – close to those of Western Europe.
For many people in Africa, mobile telephones are the only way that they will ever get access to the internet because of the poor quality, and often complete lack, of fixed-line networks. Fierce competition has pushed mobile prices down for consumers while many of the latest crop of handsets available in Africa allow easy access to the mobile internet. Web browsers can also be installed on older phones.”
As mobile handsets and cellular networks grow across the African continent, new mobile phone services and applications will naturally emerge, not only saving bananas in Uganda, but growing mobile commerce and other wireless applications.]]>Brian Prowsclean3:06116Mobile Marketing Campaigns Podcast with Michael Becker – Part Two - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-marketing-and-the-goat-herder-in-kenja-a-conversation-with-michael-becker/
Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:51:38 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=1187<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Michael Becker, a mobile marketing campaigns expert, is on a mission to explain why mobile is essential for marketing and advertising. In this two-part podcast interview, Michael discusses mobile marketing’s global growth, research and practical marketing tips. Michael Becker is a leader, teacher, and entrepreneur in the field of mobile marketing and communications. As North America Director […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-marketing-and-the-goat-herder-in-kenja-a-conversation-with-michael-becker/">Mobile Marketing Campaigns Podcast with Michael Becker – Part Two</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Michael Becker, a mobile marketing campaigns expert, is on a mission to explain why mobile is essential for marketing and advertising. In this two-part podcast interview, Michael discusses mobile marketing’s global growth,
In this two-part podcast interview, Michael discusses mobile marketing’s global growth, research and practical marketing tips.
Michael Becker is a leader, teacher, and entrepreneur in the field of mobile marketing and communications.
As North America Director of the Mobile Marketing Association, he furthers the MMA’s mandate to improve the quality of mobile marketing campaigns.
His books include Web Marketing All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies and Mobile Marketing for Dummies. Michael also edits the International Journal of Mobile Marketing.
During the podcast, Michael discusses how to launch mobile marketing campaigns for large brands and SMB’s and the unique characteristics of the mobile Internet. He also comments on creating effective mobile websites and the future of global mobile marketing.
Mobile Marketing Campaigns for SMB’s
Michael encourages mobile marketers to set realistic expectations about mobile’s impact on their businesses. For example, he recommends SMB marketers first think about their goals for mobile marketing campaigns and use SMS texting to reach the most compatible mobile handsets in the U.S (around 88%). He cautions marketers not to limit themselves to iPhone owners with a potential audience of only 3% of the U.S. market.
Using the Weather Channel’s mobile website program is another alternative for SMB’s to target specific mobile audiences by geography, weather conditions and segmented audiences.
Mobile marketing offers multiple paths or sub-channels that are synergistic: SMS, MMS, email, voice, Bluetooth and the mobile Internet. Multichannel marketing tied to marketing objectives frequently enhances brand image and marketing effectiveness.
Mobile Websites for Marketing
Mobile marketers who want to develop their own mobile websites need to consider the major differences between the mobile Web and desktop Internet. In mobile, they’re thousands of platforms to support: mobile handsets, operating systems, and mobile browsers. Unlike the traditional Internet, mobile marketing is more challenging.
Once markets launch mobile websites, promoting them through traditional and digital channels is critical to effectively boost traffic. Company websites, newsletters, emails, blogs and other media channels are powerful tools to draw users to mobile websites.
Mobile Marketing Lists
List development differs from traditional methods. Marketers can’t buy or sell mobile lists. And marketers must generate their own lists through short code texting and promotions.
Obtaining mobile user agreement to receive news and information by opting-in to lists further fosters stronger customer relationships. Mobile lists increase a company’s competitive advantage and are marketing assets to businesses.
As mobile marketing campaigns become more service-driven, companies can send mobile alert updates, such as sales quotes, systems status, and company news, to their customers.
Imagination and “co-creation” with consumers help marketers launch desired customer services and promote customer feedback about the value of services. Mobile marketers can then adjust programs and campaigns to better meet customer needs.
Likewise,]]>Brian Prowsclean29:33117Mobile Marketing Growth Podcast with Michael Becker – Part One - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/michael-becker-talks-about-new-era-of-mobile-marketing/
Sat, 26 Sep 2009 18:42:28 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=1141<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Mobile marketing growth is explained in this second of two podcast interviews with Michael Becker. A leader in the industry, Michael heads up the North American division of the Mobile Marketing Association and the Direct Marketing Association’s Mobile Advisory Council. Michael has over 15 years of technical and business development experience, with a special emphasis on […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/michael-becker-talks-about-new-era-of-mobile-marketing/">Mobile Marketing Growth Podcast with Michael Becker – Part One</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Mobile marketing growth is explained in this second of two podcast interviews with Michael Becker. A leader in the industry, Michael heads up the North American division of the Mobile Marketing Association and the Direct Marketing Association’s Mobile ...
Michael has over 15 years of technical and business development experience, with a special emphasis on wireless multi-channel messaging communications technologies. He specializes in SMS, email, IM, MMS, EMS, the Web and the mobile Internet.
Prior to iLoop Mobile, Michael founded and ran a marketing consultancy, acted as Director of Marketing at Ecrio Inc., and worked at Hewlett-Packard as International Business Development Manager. He’s also spent a number of years living in Tokyo where he worked for A&D Engineering.
Michael holds a BS from Saint Mary’s College and an MBA from Santa Clara University and teaches International Business Strategy at Golden Gate University.
Before Direct Marketing Education Foundation awarded Michael the 2009 Rising Stars Award, he won the 2007 Mobile Marketing Association Innovation of the Year award. Michael founded and co-edits the MMA International Journal of Mobile Marketing, and contributed and co-authored Web Marketing All-in-One for Dummies. He’s written over 70 articles and conducted hundreds of mobile marketing growth seminars.
iLoop Mobile
iLoop Mobile is a leader in mobile solutions and services for interactive mobile marketing and mobile content distribution. The company’s software platform enables brands, agencies, direct marketers, content owners and other companies to create compelling and effective mobile marketing initiatives worldwide. Its resource center contains a wealth of information on mobile marketing.
Mobile Marketing Growth Expansion
When Michael isn’t cooking “mean lasagna” for his friends, he’s either flying, speaking or writing about mobile marketing growth via best practices via the Mobile Marketing and Direct Marketing Associations.
To Michael, mobile now drives all communications going forward–whatever the mobile device, for personal use or commerce. He speaks of the “untethered engagement” as the central focus of one-on-one relationship marketing with mobile phone consumers.Unlike earlier days, he denies the previous paradigm (“if we build it, they will come”).
Mobile Marketing Engagement
While reading Michael’s writings–some academic–you quickly sense his desire to change traditional marketing thinking. Instead of telling consumers what they need to buy, he stresses listening to and engaging consumers in a conversation.
We are entering a new era of marketing, one where the traditional rules and models are losing their effectiveness and one where customers have awakened to their new found power and control.”
Doesn’t sound like General Motors, does it?
According to Becker, the Internet and wireless technologies have shifted control to the customer. Customers are part of “value delivery” and high participation. Marketers must create “mutual value delivery” as interactive media, such as mobile, forces marketers to listen to consumers.
Michael believes marketers must develop “collaborative conversations” with individuals who identify themselves as a target market. (Michael has 65 YouTube videos. You’ll find the videos worth viewing.)
Multi-Modal Communication Channels
Interactive media provide multiple modes of communication. Each mobile device, per Michael, is a different channel of communication that influences consumer response to marketing messages. An iPhone is not a BlackBerry; an LG feature phone is not a...]]>Brian Prowsclean31:58118Mobile Smartphone Users Increasing Internet Use - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/u-s-smartphone-user-engagement-with-the-mobile-internet-joy-liuzzo-of-insightexpress/
Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:26 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=1118<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Mobile consumer behavior studies of mobile user experiences with their devices and the mobile Internet have been in short supply. Fortunately, new studies of mobile users reveal how phone owners are using their devices. Joy Liuzzo, who is Director of Marketing and Mobile Research with InsightExpress, released a study about cell phone users called: “U.S. SmartPhone User Engagement […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/u-s-smartphone-user-engagement-with-the-mobile-internet-joy-liuzzo-of-insightexpress/">Mobile Smartphone Users Increasing Internet Use</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Mobile consumer behavior studies of mobile user experiences with their devices and the mobile Internet have been in short supply. Fortunately, new studies of mobile users reveal how phone owners are using their devices. Joy Liuzzo,
Joy Liuzzo, who is Director of Marketing and Mobile Research with InsightExpress, released a study about cell phone users called: “U.S. SmartPhone User Engagement with the Mobile Internet.”
The firm’s study covers a wide range of mobile consumer behavior studies, including minority uses of mobile devices. The study also addresses how mobile device users perceive mobile advertising.
InsightExpress
The company is a leading provider of high-quality, digital marketing research and plays a preeminent role in the measurement of advertising effectiveness across online, mobile and other media channels.
Through its patented technologies, proprietary solutions, world-class expertise and time-tested principles, InsightExpress transforms the way advertisers, agencies, publishers and researchers optimize their marketing campaigns to study mobile consumer behavior.
InsightExpress is headquartered in Stamford, CT, with offices in San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles.
Joy Liuzzo

Joy Liuzzo is responsible for the strategic development and management of mobile ad measurement and mobile consumer behavior studies. She works closely with Product Development on the creation of all marketing studies and oversees all external partnerships and affiliations. She is also responsible for the company’s digital media measurement marketing initiatives.
With extensive strategy and research experience in new media and telecommunications, she joined IE from AOL where she held a high-level role involving mobile marketing and product development and worked closely with clients at every phase of the process. She holds a B.A. from Hollins College and an M.S. from Old Dominion University.
Joy also owns a G1, an iPhone, and a Kindle. In other words, she’s engaged in mobile devices. When asked about mobiles, advertising, the mobile Internet and consumer behavior, Liuzzo says:
“’The nose-to-screen interaction with smartphones makes you block everything else around you out (at least it does for me, much to the annoyance of my husband), similar to what we see when people are focused on a task at the computer…We’re looking at the perfect storm of advertising.”
Consumer Behavior and the Mobile Experience
The study included multiple behavioral factors using a sample of over 1,200 subjects in the United States. Surprising to many, the old belief that baby boomers don’t text, access the mobile Internet or buy mobile apps is false. In fact, 45+ year-olds are the fastest growing adopters of these mobile services.
Liuzzo believes any mobile device that can access the Internet–such as the Amazon Kindle or Sony PS3 PlayStation–represents a pervasive consumer trend to wireless gadgets that will continue changing mobile device preferences. Mobile phones and other consumer electronics products impact consumer behavior for business and pleasure.
Summary of Latest Mobile Consumer Behavior Results
Podcast Interview Topics:

* How smartphones and feature phones are changing mobile consumer behavior on the mobile Internet.
* Mobile phone and Internet penetration among Gen X, Y and boomer generations.
* More boomers have mobile phones than Internet access.
* Use of texting is growing faster with older consum...]]>Brian Prowsclean34:42119Roku Video Player Expands Internet Video Streaming - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/roku-portable-media-player-ip-mobile-media-streaming-from-the-cloud/
Thu, 03 Sep 2009 04:50:07 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=874<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p> Technological improvements in multimedia Internet streaming video are changing consumer viewing experiences. The Roku Video player is one of the best examples. Once purchasing a Roku player, Netflix unlimited streaming is yours for less than $9 a month. Since its introduction, Roku has added dozens of Internet programs, including major TV networks like NBC. You […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/roku-portable-media-player-ip-mobile-media-streaming-from-the-cloud/">Roku Video Player Expands Internet Video Streaming</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p> Technological improvements in multimedia Internet streaming video are changing consumer viewing experiences. The Roku Video player is one of the best examples. Once purchasing a Roku player, Netflix unlimited streaming is yours for less than $9 a mon...
Technological improvements in multimedia Internet streaming video are changing consumer viewing experiences. The Roku Video player is one of the best examples. Once purchasing a Roku player, Netflix unlimited streaming is yours for less than $9 a month.
Since its introduction, Roku has added dozens of Internet programs, including major TV networks like NBC. You can even stream MobileBeyond podcasts on the Blubrry Channel.
Roku Video Player

For the benefit of anyone unfamiliar with the device, let me briefly describe how Roku and similar devices could drastically change multimedia delivery and mobility.
The Roku digital media player is a network IP-based device about the size of a pocket book that streams audio and video over the Internet to computer monitors, TV sets and audio/visual systems. On the back of the device are component, S-Video, and HDMI video and composite and optical audio ports.
High Resolution Video and Dolby Stereo
The quality of video and audio is dependent on your Internet connection speed. As download speeds increases, video and audio quality improves. While testing the Roku/NetFlix service in the past month, I experienced very high quality resolution, including HD and Dolby stereo, using a Comcast broadband connection (15Mbps to 20Mbps), a wireless router, a Samsung HD TV and a Denon audio/video system, connected with HDMI and optical audio cables.
The quality of the video and audio is exceptional. In fact, audio and video clarity is better than my Directv DVR and service which I canceled many moons ago.
Roku Video Player: Why Cable and Satellite Service Providers are Worried
The Roku video player is very similar to digital video recorders provided by cable and satellite TV companies. Roku customers can pause, fast-forward and rewind, although it’s not as smooth as a DVR.
Similar to your “always on” service connection, content is available 24/7. Roku differs from traditional services by not storing downloads on a local hard disk, reducing your electric bill. Instead, programming is stored on servers throughout the country and pushed on demand when you request it, not when it’s available from cable and satellite providers.
Cable and satellite providers now realize the appeal of on demand programming. Even if you own a DVR, you must still wait for programs to air before watching them live or recording to your DVR. Therefore, the only advantage of a DVR is allowing you to watch TV content at a later time. Using Roku, however, you don’t need a DVR and you don’t have to wait. The Internet delivers content when desired.
On Demand MultiMedia
The online service is provided to all NetFlix customers. Although Netflix still mails DVD’s to some customers, they’re lowering their costs by encouraging customers to stream desired content.
Customers select movies and older TV shows on NetFlix’ website or while watching its channel. Want more? Order current movies and TV fare from Amazon Video On DemandI.
It’s similar to owners of Amazon’s Kindle, Sony’s Reader and other eReaders. A vast library of books, magazines, newspapers and other text is stored on computer servers waiting for you to buy and...]]>Brian Prowsclean2:08120Mobile Application Development Testing from Perfecto Mobile - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-application-development-testing-with-eran-yaniv-at-perfecto-mobile/
Fri, 28 Aug 2009 05:01:54 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=716<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Mobile application development testing is pne of the major challenges facing the industry. Handset manufacturers, application developers, carriers and others must ensure that mobile applications and software run flawlessly on hundreds–if not thousands–of mobile handsets around the world. As smartphones and other mobile computing devices increase in complexity, mobile application development is hindered without proper […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-application-development-testing-with-eran-yaniv-at-perfecto-mobile/">Mobile Application Development Testing from Perfecto Mobile</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Mobile application development testing is pne of the major challenges facing the industry. Handset manufacturers, application developers, carriers and others must ensure that mobile applications and software run flawlessly on hundreds–if not thousands–...
As smartphones and other mobile computing devices increase in complexity, mobile application development is hindered without proper testing.Perfecto Mobile, a company based in Israel, has developed an mobile application testing service on the Internet to quickly and efficiently test new mobile applications and mobile content in a market changing daily.
Mobile Application Development Process
The Perfecto Mobile system is a hardware and software solution. Mobile handsets are mounted on cradles and they connect to the Perfecto Mobile system through their data ports. Users access the handsets via a web-based UI.
When a user clicks on a handset’s key in the GUI, the Perfecto Mobile system sends a command to the real handset and the same key on the actual device is pressed. A video camera captures the real user experience as it is displayed on the handset’s screen and streams it back to the user’s PC. The system also captures and records the handset’s audio.
The Perfecto Mobile system is non-intrusive, so adding, reconfiguring or replacing a handset is really easy, making it ideal for testing various handset models and especially pre-launched handsets in a constantly changing environment.
Perfecto Mobile’s service significantly reduces the complexity involved in launching and sustaining mobile services. The service streamlines the development, testing and monitoring processes of mobile applications and content across devices, networks and geographies.
Perfecto Mobile enables users to control remote handsets and use automated procedures that test and monitor performance and monitoring tasks more efficiently and effectively.
Users can test each device and ensure compatibility of their products or services with more devices and more networks, which improves quality, shorter time to market, and overall reduction in costs and logistical efforts.
Eran Yaniv Bio
Eran Yaniv came to Perfecto Mobile from Comverse America where he was VP of product marketing. At Comverse America, Eran increased the revenue generated by the company’s data products to 30% of total product sales. He ‘s also served as the general manager of the Comverse Mobile Data Division and led a major turnaround in the performance of the division by bringing in accounts such as Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile.
Prior to assuming his responsibilities at Comverse, Eran was the general manager of the Valisys Quality Management business unit as well as Director of R&D at Tecnomatix in Israel, managing the company’s development activities.
Listen as Brian Prows interviews an expert in the field of mobile application testing and optimization.
Podcast Links:Perfecto Mobile WebsiteDemoLinkedIn Profile]]>Brian Prowsclean36:50121Mobile Social Networks with Herman Heunis of MXit - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-communications-and-communities-in-south-africa-mxits-herman-heunis-2/
Thu, 27 Aug 2009 02:55:09 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=617<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Mobile social networks are alive and well in South Africa. MXit, a mobile service, offers instant messaging, online chat rooms, mobile media and other mobile services primarily to South African youth. Herman Heunis, founder and CEO, is the driving force behind the company’s growth as he faces the challenges of growing wireless communications in a […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-communications-and-communities-in-south-africa-mxits-herman-heunis-2/">Mobile Social Networks with Herman Heunis of MXit</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Mobile social networks are alive and well in South Africa. MXit, a mobile service, offers instant messaging, online chat rooms, mobile media and other mobile services primarily to South African youth. Herman Heunis, founder and CEO,
Mobile social networks are alive and well in South Africa. MXit, a mobile service, offers instant messaging, online chat rooms, mobile media and other mobile services primarily to South African youth.
Herman Heunis, founder and CEO, is the driving force behind the company’s growth as he faces the challenges of growing wireless communications in a developing country.
Located in Stellenbosch, South Africa and Port Louis, Mauritius, MXit, described as a lifestyle company with a disruptive technology, offers a range of services, including instant messaging, mobile voice clips, community-based applications and entertainment.
The name of the company stands for message exchange, provides a free instant messaging application for both computers and mobile phones, music, social networking, fashion, banking access and more.
Mobile Social Networks Expanding Rapidly Worldwide
Since its launch in 2005, mobile social networks have attracted more than 15 million users across the developing world, including six million alone in the country and 500,000 in Indonesia, its second largest market. The service grows by 25,000 users a day and operates in 120 countries as it creates communities across the globe.
Although it has swiftly achieved a youth cult status with its user base, the company targets all age groups.
Biography – Herman Heunis
Herman Heunis, Founder and CEO, was born and grew up in Namibia, formerly South-West Africa.
After graduating with a degree in communications from Stellenbosch University, Herman began his career as a computer programmer, then a technical specialist & consultant. In 1990, Herman started his own information communications technology consulting company.
In 1998 he launched Swist Group Technologies, an information and communication technology company specializing in software development and telecommunications operations. SGT then created MXit.
Disruptive Technology

In this podcast interview, Herman Heunis talks with Brian Prows about “disruptive technology”—using innovative approaches to build new mobile social networks that confront the status quo.
Speaking at the NetProphet 2009 conference, Heunis commented: “The mobile phone is the remote control of the Universe, “ in recognition of the mobile phone’s importance to youth, where mobile phones are the main communication channel.
BusinessWeek’s recent article proclaimed MXit as a vehicle for change—a social network with a social conscience—in countries where many people remain unconnected to the traditional Web.
Heunis firmly believes that he and the company have a social responsibility for education and supported a drug counseling program in 2007 to help poor communities on the Cape Flats, a suburb of Cape Town.
“Rocking the boat” is ingrained in Herman. According to him: “For a true entrepreneur, the satisfaction of creating outweighs the money rewards.”
Like FaceBook leaders and other progressive social media company visionaries, he believes success is only possible by creating new business models. He says: “We do not compete; we create….”
Delighting Your Customers
The main challenge, he says, is to measure and closely monitor customer satisfaction and desired services to keep pace with your target markets. Offering value is the only way to success in the new world of mobile social networks.
Many IM companies are competing today by testing new approaches to monetize their businesses, while launching innovative and profitable mobile services in great demand by consumers of all age groups. The service offers free text services but charges for chat rooms and other content.
]]>Brian Prowsclean1:001224g Wireless Technology Mobile Phone Guy - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-4g-wireless-mobile-phone-guy/
Sun, 16 Aug 2009 21:42:35 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=485<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>4G wireless technology networks, launching in the U.S. and elsewhere, will forever change how we communicate with mobile devices, experience multimedia and connect with other mobile users. 4G Wireless Technology Will Change Your Life Imagine a day in the not-too-distant future in a 4G wireless age. You awake to your favorite music, playing from stereo speakers […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-4g-wireless-mobile-phone-guy/">4g Wireless Technology Mobile Phone Guy</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>4G wireless technology networks, launching in the U.S. and elsewhere, will forever change how we communicate with mobile devices, experience multimedia and connect with other mobile users. 4G Wireless Technology Will Change Your Life Imagine a day in t...
4G Wireless Technology Will Change Your Life
Imagine a day in the not-too-distant future in a 4G wireless age. You awake to your favorite music, playing from stereo speakers plugged into your mobile phone. Blurry eyed, you drag your body out of bed, pick up your mobile, press a button and briefly watch the morning news in full-color streaming video.
You press another button and a relaxing voice (Charlene, your mobile’s nickname) reviews your daily schedule. Ah, you forgot to tell your business associate about a change in an important meeting today.
“Hey, send a text message to Suzy at the office and change the client video conference to 10 a.m.” Charlene confirms the text message with “o.k., Brian, sent the IM.
Would you like to listen to Pandora Radio?” “Sure,” you respond, “play that latest jazz channel.”
You’re starting to feel morning energy coursing through your body as you jump in the shower, then shave. Pandora Radio streams in 4G from your mobile over the home network to speakers mounted in your bathroom.
Having dressed, you race downstairs, grab a cup of java, brewed ten minutes ago when she sent a “brew” command to your Wi-Fi coffee maker. You point your super-smart phone at the HD, Wi-Fi television, press an icon on your phone’s touch-screen and review your video conference streaming video opening. “Perfect,” you say to yourself. “Brilliant.”
Out the door, your car waiting. (Your assistant switched your mobile from home network to the mobile carrier’s 4G wireless technology network.)
“Darn,” you tell yourself, having checked your wallet. Out of cash. No problem. Your mobile helper already activated GPS which is streaming to your larger auto dashboard screen.
Pressing one button on your mobile automatically locates the nearest ATM and Charlene calmly gives you turn-by-turn directions. Money in your pocket…feels good. You’re driving to the office.
“Shoot,” forgot to schedule the DVR to record the NBA game at 4. No need to touch a button on your mobile. When you entered your car, your mobile switched to audio only using Bluetooth. Could only happen in a 4G wireless technology world.
A call arrives. Your bluetooth-connected mobile automatically answers, pre-screened by your mobile guide. Amy, your partner, needs the opening 100MB video you recorded to open th...]]>Brian Prowsclean1:04123Mobile Marketing Drives Profits Says Mickey Khan - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-marketers-mickey-alam-khan-mobile-marketing-and-advertising-2/
Wed, 15 Jul 2009 01:18:49 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=400<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Mobile Marketing Expanding in Multiple Directions In you’re into mobile marketing, ask Mickey Alam Khan, Editor-in Chief of Mobile Marketer how he covers mobile marketing, advertising and media. You’ll learn a lot about online journalism and the fastest growing marketing channel. Deposited each day in thousands of email boxes is the work of seven people—Mickey included—who cover […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-marketers-mickey-alam-khan-mobile-marketing-and-advertising-2/">Mobile Marketing Drives Profits Says Mickey Khan</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Mobile Marketing Expanding in Multiple Directions In you’re into mobile marketing, ask Mickey Alam Khan, Editor-in Chief of Mobile Marketer how he covers mobile marketing, advertising and media. You’ll learn a lot about online journalism and the fastes...
Mobile Marketing Expanding in Multiple Directions
In you’re into mobile marketing, ask Mickey Alam Khan, Editor-in Chief of Mobile Marketer how he covers mobile marketing, advertising and media. You’ll learn a lot about online journalism and the fastest growing marketing channel.
Deposited each day in thousands of email boxes is the work of seven people—Mickey included—who cover the latest mobile information for brands, agencies, publishers and mobile marketing firmsMobile Marketer is the leading online trade publication covering mobile marketing, media and commerce. The company also produces white papers and a blog, while sponsoring webinars. (Display ads, white papers and webinars generate company revenues.)
Mickey, who says he loves marketing, has 17 years’ reporting and editing experience in marketing journalism. He was formerly Editor-in-Chief with e-marketer, another online publication focused on digital marketing, media research and Internet market trends, using data from over 3,000 worldwide sources.
Before e-marketer, Mickey ran DM News, a web and email newsletter site. Like Mobile Marketer, DM News provides content for a variety of industries and businesses, including ad agencies, apparel, arts/entertainment, automotive, catalog/retail, consumer electronics, e-commerce, education, financial and more.
From 1993 to 1998, he was a foreign correspondent for Advertising Age.
In his spare time, Mickey is a fan of the Vienna Philharmonic, Elvis Presley, The Sierra Club, Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and…CyberMonday.com, an e-commerce site offering all products that exist on Earth.
Mobile Marketing Useful for Large and Small Brands

In the podcast, Mickey talks candidly about the necessity for large and small brands to invest wisely in mobile advertising and diversify total ad spend across broadcast, print, the Internet and, of course, mobile. A highly targeted and professionally produced email newsletter can also boost overall results.
Focusing on mobile’s ability to increase customer satisfaction and retention, while avoiding the mistakes of the Internet boom, is the key, he says, to profitable enterprises.
Further, he believes that SMB’s have much to gain through a well-planned combination of text ads and short codes to promote their brand and businesses. Mobile, as part of the overall marketing mix, is invaluable for both small and large companies. Likewise, publishers need to carefully plan new mobile website launches to fully monetize their Web properties.
Mobile Marketing Enables a Mobile Generation
Listening to Mickey, you’ll immediately sense his belief that mobile handsets and applications are indispensable tools of a mobile generation. Since the iPhone’s introduction, carriers have lowered data plan charges and manufacturers have produced more sophisticated, application-driven handsets for business and personal use, perfect for delivering excellent mobile marketing campaigns.
He also discusses a Mobile Marketer piece involving Patrick Mork of GetJar with regard to mobile applications.
Mickey is a visionary who believes mobile technology gives us freedom from time and space and offers multiple ways to shop, read and run our businesses. He refers to the mobile phone as the “ultimate convergence device.”]]>Brian Prowsclean2:02124Mobile Barcode Technology Improves Brand Marketing - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/barcodes-improve-mobile-marketing/
Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:18:34 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=268<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Mobile barcode technology, first developed and used in Japan, has dramatically improved direct marketing results for Brands, advertisers, mobile carriers, handset manufacturers, and publishers. 2D mobile barcodes are used in direct response, multimedia marketing, and promotional campaigns. Mobile barcode technology, companies, such as 3GVision, Neustar, NeoMedia, and others are forging ahead, establishing barcode standards among mobile carriers […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/barcodes-improve-mobile-marketing/">Mobile Barcode Technology Improves Brand Marketing</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Mobile barcode technology, first developed and used in Japan, has dramatically improved direct marketing results for Brands, advertisers, mobile carriers, handset manufacturers, and publishers. 2D mobile barcodes are used in direct response,
Mobile barcode technology, companies, such as 3GVision, Neustar, NeoMedia, and others are forging ahead, establishing barcode standards among mobile carriers to reap the benefits of enhanced direct marketing.
Mobile Barcode Technology From 3GVision
Started in 2000, the company is a leader in mobile barcode reading and advanced image processing technologies used by mobile carriers, handset manufacturers, advertisers and end-users.
Direct response marketing campaigns and other applications that access mobile Web content are the main uses of 3GVision’s technology, currently installed over 100 million handsets worldwide.
Its i-nigma, an end-to-end1D/2D barcode solution, increases revenue opportunities for mobile operators and print campaign effectiveness for media and marketing companies.
Partners include mobile carriers such as Telstra in Australia, France Telecom, and Japan’s NTT Docomo; Nokia, Samsung, LG, Sony Ericsson, Motorola and other mobile handset manufacturers; and most Japanese vendors like Sharp, NEC, Kyocera, and Toshiba.
3GVision is the ‘de facto’ industry standard for mobile barcode technology in Japan – the first fully developed mobile barcode market in the world.
Yossi Lev BackGroundYossi Lev, CTO and Co-Founder, drives the development of 3GVision’s image recognition technologies, overseeing all operations and technical development. With over 20 years of industry experience in the fields of video and imaging algorithms and related technologies like robotics, imaging, video recognition, compression, character recognition and other technologies, Lev is one of the most knowledgeable experts in the field.
Previous to joining 3GVision, Yossi was CTO for Onset Technologies where he led new innovations in fax and voice message routing solutions. He was also with Camtouch, a video recognition/touch-screen applications company. He holds a B.Sc. in Physics and Mathematics from Tel-Aviv University.
Yossi Lev discusses how 3GVision was formed based, in part, on his passion for “computer companions” with eyes that could help humans process enormous quantities of information and data. That led to his belief that camera phones, when they emerged around 2001, were powerful tools to enable facial recognition, OCR, barcode reading and document scanning.
Visionaries in Japan apparently agreed with him. While the rest of the world crawled out of the dot-com bust, Lev and other mobile barcode experts were talking with Japanese mobile carriers who were seeking camera phone applications.
Camera Phones & QR Codes Come to Japan
The idea of using camera phones to scan barcodes was not new to the Japanese. For years, QR Codes (essentially the same as 2d barcodes) were deployed in Japan’s auto industry logistically to monitor auto parts. 3G networks, although not necessary for effective scanning of barcodes by mobile phones, helped optimize their use, making Japan the technology leader.
Mobile barcode technology, while challenging at that time, resolved in simpler applications, such as capturing an URL with the phone’s camera to access Web content tied to marketing campaigns. 3GVision’s technology, embedded into mobile handsets, captures barcodes found in newspapers, magazines, books, business cards–virtually anywhere and everywhere. 2D barcodes, according to Lev, are even capable of sending SMS messages captured by a mobile phone.]]>Brian Prowsclean28:51125Mobile Application Development at Nokia with Luca Cioletti - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-application-development-at-nokia/
Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:06:31 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=251<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Mobile application development is the heart and soul of the smartphone and mobile computing market. Without mobile software development, billions of mobile phone users around the world could not make phone calls, surf the mobile Internet, play games, use email or connect via apps to their favorite social networking sites. While the iTunes and BlackBerry […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/mobile-application-development-at-nokia/">Mobile Application Development at Nokia with Luca Cioletti</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Mobile application development is the heart and soul of the smartphone and mobile computing market. Without mobile software development, billions of mobile phone users around the world could not make phone calls, surf the mobile Internet, play games,
Mobile application development is the heart and soul of the smartphone and mobile computing market. Without mobile software development, billions of mobile phone users around the world could not make phone calls, surf the mobile Internet, play games, use email or connect via apps to their favorite social networking sites.
While the iTunes and BlackBerry App stores have received the most press attention of late, Nokia of Finland, through its Forum Nokia operation, has assisted mobile developers for many years.
Despite the cell phone manufacturer’s loss of market share in the handset market, the company believes offering innovative applications by working with developers is the road to profitability. Assisting developers with technical support (see the Forum Nokia Developer Community online) and the marketing of their applications through its OVI store are critical.
Bloomberg in a recent article wrote that the Finnish company’s failure to beat Apple’s iPhone and software puts its market share at risk, while a number of mobile app developers have migrated from the Symbian OS platform to others like iPhone and Android. To keep developers, the company has created contests and increased partnerships.
Mobile Application Development – EMEA – Nokia
As Head of Business Development–EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), Gian Luca Cioletti is primarily responsible for evangelizing Forum Nokia’s services within the organization and developer communities, Cioletti also coordinates business opportunities with developers through its channels, operators, integrators, aggregators and content providers.
One of his critical tasks is to build a strong Business Development Team. Gian was formerly in business development with Hewlett-Packard. He says he also loves to listen to music, read books on leadership and other subjects and explore innovative ideas.
During the podcast interview, Cioletti discusses his unit’s services, its role in overall strategy, opportunities for application developers writing apps for Symbian OS, Apple’s iPhone, the meaning of innovation, marketing to countries on multiple continents (especially developing mobile areas in the world) and the importance of mobile worldwide.
The mobile development business is not necessarily lucrative for the developer since many applications sell for less than $5 and app stores take a percentage of each sale.
Despite the handset manufacturer’s loss of smartphone market share, it remains the dominant player in the world market for mobile phones, especially on developing nations such as India.
For further information, see the Forum’s blog, podcasts and videos.
Mobile Application Development YouTube Videos:Part OnePart TwoPart ThreePart Four]]>Brian Prowsclean2:11126Mobile Website Optimization with Eric Hansen - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/eric-hansen-at-sitespect-on-optimizing-mobile-websites/
Sat, 06 Jun 2009 12:20:43 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=216<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p> Mobile website optimization is becoming critical for SEO and mobile marketer success. Mobile professionals may think optimization, analytics, search engine marketing and other digital marketing challenging. But but it’s essential for improving website performance and lead conversions. Eric Hansen, Founder and C.E.O. of SiteSpect, a Boston-based mobile website optimization firm, specializes in testing and evaluating […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/eric-hansen-at-sitespect-on-optimizing-mobile-websites/">Mobile Website Optimization with Eric Hansen</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p> Mobile website optimization is becoming critical for SEO and mobile marketer success. Mobile professionals may think optimization, analytics, search engine marketing and other digital marketing challenging.Mobile website optimization is becoming critical for SEO and mobile marketer success. Mobile professionals may think optimization, analytics, search engine marketing and other digital marketing challenging. But but it’s essential for improving website performance and lead conversions.Eric Hansen, Founder and C.E.O. of SiteSpect, a Boston-based mobile website optimization firm, specializes in testing and evaluating mobile websites, resulting in to excellent rendering and performance on the mobile Internet.
Mobile Website Optimization Growing
Since starting the firm in 2004, Hansen’s team has helped many large companies, including J.C. Penney, Overstock.com, The New York Times and CreditCards.com improve mobile website marketing performance.
SiteSpect optimizes mobile content and placement. Hansen says Sitespect is the only company that delivers mobile website behavioral data on phones without JavaScript or cookies.
50% of worldwide mobile handsets don’t have JavaScript enabled. As a result, most marketers can’t accurately assess advertising campaign effectiveness and mobile website performance.
Raquel Pasqua, writing in MarketingLand, describes several Mobile website optimization content strategies. In the article, she discusses positives and negatives of fully hosted mobile websites, reverse proxy solutions, moving to the cloud and moving to CMS-based solutions.
Podcast Interview
Listen to one of the top experts in the mobile website optimization field share successful, proven mobile marketing strategies.
Contact Eric Hansen via:Twitter: ericjhansenLinkedInFaceBookMobileMarketer Article]]>Brian Prowsclean33:51127Mobile Advertising Passion Thrives at Smaato - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/dreaming-the-dream-mobile-advertising-with-harald-neinhardt-at-smaato/
Thu, 28 May 2009 10:39:02 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=149<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>I</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/dreaming-the-dream-mobile-advertising-with-harald-neinhardt-at-smaato/">Mobile Advertising Passion Thrives at Smaato</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>ISmaato, a mobile advertising company.
Before the iPhone was released, Harald and other entrepreneurs at Smaato were talking about smartphones, mobile applications and the growth of worldwide mobile computing.

Smaato is a pioneering mobile advertising company that operates the mobile ad optimization platform called SOMA (Smaato Open Mobile Advertising).
Mobile Advertising Passion Podcast Interview
The company partners with mobile advertisers, publishers, developers, ad networks and carriers to increase advertiser average revenue per user within mobile applications or on mobile websites.
Listen as Brian Prows interviews a guy who dreams the dream of a mobile world.]]>Brian Prowsclean2:071284G Mobile Broadband Demand Challenges Carriers - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/us-mobile-carrier-voice-data-plans-challenge-mobile-technology/
Thu, 21 May 2009 03:52:40 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=127<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>4g mobile broadband has more twists and turns than an unborn baby in its mother. Consumer and business demand continues as the carriers beef up efforts to supply faster wireless services. But the U.S. mobile carriers are behind wireless technologies? Why has it taken U.S. carriers so long to begin offering 4G broadband service? Why are […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/us-mobile-carrier-voice-data-plans-challenge-mobile-technology/">4G Mobile Broadband Demand Challenges Carriers</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>4g mobile broadband has more twists and turns than an unborn baby in its mother. Consumer and business demand continues as the carriers beef up efforts to supply faster wireless services. But the U.S. mobile carriers are behind wireless technologies?
4G Mobile Broadband and LTE
Afzal Bajw, writing in Technologizer, says 4G mobile broadband, used in LTE wireless technology, is superior to Wimax. He also points out that the U.S. is far behind many countries with faster, more reliable mobile broadband.
“The U.S., a traditional leader in innovation and technological advancement, may struggle to adopt 4G mobile broadband as rapidly as other countries. Why? One reason is the difficulty of ramping up LTE during the recession. Another is the indecisiveness of U.S. industry heavyweights about next-generation standards. But even if the U.S.’s 4G future is somewhat murky, wireless connectivity is bound to evolve towards higher speed, greater traffic capacity and more reliable connections.”
Meanwhile, as reported by Reuters , AT&T is considering changing data charges for the iPhone and other smartphones:
“Ralph de la Vega, the head of AT&T Mobility, told the Reuters Global Technology Summit in New York on Tuesday that it would be costly for AT&T to cut the price of its unlimited Web data service, which currently costs at least $70 for iPhone users. Instead, AT&T could offer more limited Web surfing on cellphones for a lower fee, similar to its trial offer of 200 megabytes of data downloads for wireless netbook users ($40 a month in Atlanta and in Philadelphia.)
“‘Right now we continue to study what is the best thing that is available, not just from an iPhone point of view, but what you can do to stimulate additional demand,'” said de la Vega, who is responsible for all of AT&T’s consumer sales along with his role as chief executive of the mobile business.”
AT&T and the other carriers find themselves caught in the same catch-22: stimulate data demand for faster 4G mobile broadband and carriers make more money; but stimulate data demand without sufficient bandwidth and customers are unhappy.
4G Mobile Broadband Shortage
And it’s not just the iPhone and Android smartphones 4G mobile broadband demand worldwide. Samsung and other major mobile phone manufacturers churn out dozens of new models to multiple carriers each month.
More data-intensive smartphones means greater demand for wireless bandwidth. While mobile carriers furiously construct towers, routers, switchers and other networking equipment, they struggle to meet 4G mobile broadband customer demand.

]]>Brian Prowsclean2:06129Pandora Internet Radio Tom Conrad Interview - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/behind-the-scenes-at-pandora-internet-radio-tom-conrad-interview/
Sun, 17 May 2009 10:31:36 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=72<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>Pandora Internet Radio has grown rapidly over the years and is now available on both mobile phones and personal computers. Due to the “Music Genome Project,” an exhaustive and ongoing study of all forms of music, Pandora developed a service that personalizes the way we listen to favorite songs on mobile phones and personal computers. […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/behind-the-scenes-at-pandora-internet-radio-tom-conrad-interview/">Pandora Internet Radio Tom Conrad Interview</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>Pandora Internet Radio has grown rapidly over the years and is now available on both mobile phones and personal computers. Due to the “Music Genome Project,” an exhaustive and ongoing study of all forms of music,Pandora Internet Radio has grown rapidly over the years and is now available on both mobile phones and personal computers.
Due to the “Music Genome Project,” an exhaustive and ongoing study of all forms of music, Pandora developed a service that personalizes the way we listen to favorite songs on mobile phones and personal computers.
Whether you’re into rock, gospel, classical, hip-hop or jazz, Pandora Internet Radio wants only to play the music you like. Making the selections is not easy and requires the ongoing work of staff skilled in tonality and other aspects of sound.
The Oakland, CA based company streams audio to your iPhone, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile and 40-50 other mobile handsets running on multiple U.S. carrier networks. As of December, 2008, two million iPhone users had downloaded the Pandora application. More recently, over one million BlackBerry users did the same through the BlackBerry App Store. Android was next and is coming on strong.
Pandora claims a base of 27 million subscribers with 3-4 million people listening on their mobile phones and the majority tuning in with their personal computers. Listeners may create up to 100 personalized radio stations.
Personalized choice is the key competitive advantage over traditional radio stations. In fact, while listening to the service, users can retrieve information on their mobile handset or PC telling them why Pandora’s several dozen specialists selected it: “We’re playing this track because it features major key tonality, string section beds and many other similarities identified in the Genome Project.”
In this fascinating, revealing behind-the-scenes look at Pandora, CTO Tom Conrad talks about his early love for music, Pandora’s “one-click” personalized Internet radio service, changes within radio broadcasting and Pandora’s unique approach.
Podcast LinksMusic Genome ProjectWikipedia ArticleTom Conrad’s BlogTom on Twitter]]>Brian Prowsclean43:48130Mobile New Media Content Marketing Explodes Worldwide - MobileBeyondhttps://www.mobilebeyond.net/future-mobile-new-media-2/
Fri, 03 Apr 2009 23:46:05 +0000https://mobilebeyond.net/?p=1<p>By <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/author/rocketdocket/">Brian Prows</a></p>
<p>When MobileBeyond launched in 2009 I decided to focus on the future of mobile new media content marketing. My journey, while concentrating on mobile developments in blog posts and podcasts, gradually expanded to include Internet-related content and technologies. That’s why you’ll find articles and podcast interviews about mobile marketing and advertising, social media and networks, wireless […]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net/future-mobile-new-media-2/">Mobile New Media Content Marketing Explodes Worldwide</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.mobilebeyond.net">MobileBeyond</a>.</p>When MobileBeyond launched in 2009 I decided to focus on the future of mobile new media content marketing. My journey, while concentrating on mobile developments in blog posts and podcasts, gradually expanded to include Internet-related content and te...
My journey, while concentrating on mobile developments in blog posts and podcasts, gradually expanded to include Internet-related content and technologies.
That’s why you’ll find articles and podcast interviews about mobile marketing and advertising, social media and networks, wireless health, digital publications, the Kindle and much more.
MobileBeyond became a site about how humans have created interactive content (text, sound, images, video) carried over amazing electronic devices. This is the world of mobile new media.
Mobile New Media Content Marketing
We live in exciting, dynamic times. Electronic communications spread across the world. Some might call it “the age of mobile.” But I think there’s something bigger happening than just mobile and most people don’t realize it.
Unlike most new communication technologies, mobile and new media are morphing in multiple directions. Once, the media talked to us. Today people and media collaborate, producing and sharing incredible content.
No longer just print, no longer audio or video. Emerging technologies have converged media and content. When you make or view a YouTube video, the content–your message –and the media channel become one and the same. In other words, if you viewed the same video on a TV or tablet computer, your experience would be entirely different. That’s what new media does.
Mobile offers, as Michael Becker says, multi-modal channels: photos, video, audio and the Internet. Add mobile smartphone apps and your phone becomes a bar code scanner, a mapping tool, a navigation system, a wireless health service.Herman Heunis with MXit in South Africa calls a mobile phone “the remote control of the Universe.” For the first time in history, mobile devices offer nearly unlimited convergence.
MobileBeyond’s Quest
Explaining and commenting about this massive change in human communications has been MobileBeyond’s quest Creative minds, like clay in the hands of a potter, drive t he future of mobile and media. It’s an unending journey. But watching and participating in the journey puts us at the center of the communications revolution. Enter the journey into uncharted visions of our future.
MobileBeyond’s Services
Make your website content soar through the Web. Accelerate your web page download speeds so people in Asia, Europe, and Latin America visit your site in droves. MobileBeyond will help your content stream into the stratosphere.]]>Brian Prowsclean2:051